If there was ever a doubt how popular Gov. Brian Kemp and First Lady Marty Kemp are here in Walton County, well, that doubt should have been erased Thursday evening. 

The Kemps were the featured guests at the annual Walton County Republican Party BBQ, a long-time staple of local and state politics, and the rousing reception and ovation they received from the nearly 400 faithful in attendance made it very clear Walton County is Kemp Country.

Governor Kemp is not on the ballot this fall, but if he was, he’d probably beat Stacey Abrams or whoever the Democrats trotted out against him by an even wider landslide margin then he did in 2022.

No, Kemp, wasn’t stumping for himself. He was stumping for all the other Republicans running for office in 2024, most notably the top of the ticket — President Donald Trump.

Kemp, through both his presence here and his remarks, made it clear Walton County needs to be Trump Country as well.

That might surprise some given some of the incredibly unkind things Trump has said about Kemp in the past, squarely blaming Kemp for not delivering the state of Georgia for Trump in the 2020 election.

To Kemp’s credit, he has stayed above the fray. Kemp knows what’s at stake in 2024, and he’s more interested in looking forward than looking back.

The future of our country literally hangs in the balance this election, and Kemp is doing everything he can to try and return proven, conservative leadership back to the White House in 2024. He’s just not interested in entertaining woulda-coulda-shoulda from 2020, and frankly, nor should he.

Kemp’s not forgetting the state house either, by the way, working on behalf of Republican state representative and senate candidates he feels are in key races across Georgia.

Trump, for his part, seems to have softened his position on Kemp some given recent remarks praising Kemp. Most notably for Kemp’s handling of the disaster relief efforts for the parts of Georgia devastated by Hurricane Helene. 

Both men seem to understand, although it has taken Trump a lot longer to come around to this, that a unified front within the party is needed to get this deal done in Georgia and other swing states, and whatever differences they may have personally or politically, the greater good — again, the future of this country — is far more important.

Early voting in Georgia is underway. Election Day is Nov. 5.

The General Election of our lifetime is finally here.

The governor encouraged those attending the GOP BBQ to not only deliver Walton County, but to deliver it so decisively the numbers will help offset other areas of the state that will most assuredly be left-leaning.

The chance to do that has come.

Let’s not let our governor or our country down.     

Patrick Graham is the proprietor and publisher of The Walton Tribune and The Covington News. His email address is patrick.graham@waltontribune.com.