The former Atlanta city councilmember who filled the remainder of the term of Democrat civil rights hero John Lewis in the House delivered a surprise endorsement of Republican incumbent Governor Brian Kemp on Friday. He also endorsed Republican Burt Jones in the lt. governor race rather than back the Democrat who defeated him in a runoff.

Kwanza Hall was the top vote-getter in the first round of the Democrat primary for lt. governor. In the primary run-off, Stacey Abrams endorsed his challenger, Charlie Bailey, who is now running on the Democrat ticket as the lt. governor candidate. Hall’s endorsement of the two top Republican candidates may be political payback against Abrams but you can believe that both Kemp and Burt Jones will embrace the endorsement and tout their ability to work with all Georgians. The endorsement speaks to a crossover appeal for voters. Hall is one of the highest-profile Democrats to support their campaigns.

The Democrat primary for lieutenant governor in May was a nine-way race. Hall won about 30% of the vote. He was in a run-off with Bailey, a former prosecutor, who received 18% of the vote. Abrams’ endorsement in the June runoff enabled Bailey to coast to victory over Hall.

Hall said he sided with Jones over Democrat Charlie Bailey because of his “proven track record of delivering results.” He praised Kemp for ensuring that his “door has always been open to those who have Georgia’s best interests at heart, regardless of politics.”

In a statement, Hall touted Jones’ plan to “invest in our communities, lower costs, improve our k-12 education system and reduce crime.” Jones, a state legislator with a conservative voting record, has tried to broaden his appeal after winning the GOP nod with Donald Trump’s blessing.

Jones said he will work with Hall “and others in a bipartisan way to create more opportunities for hardworking Georgians and continue to make our state the best place to live, work and raise a family.”

Hall said he endorsed Kemp because he’s impressed with Kemp’s “tough decisions in unprecedented circumstances.” Governor Kemp said he’ll work with Hall and others in his second term.

“While we don’t agree on every issue, it’s abundantly clear that Brian Kemp is a man of character, a strong leader, and someone who Georgians can trust to put them and their interests first,” the Democrat said.

The governor said he planned to work with Hall and others in a second term “to put political differences aside and keep our state the best place to live, work and raise a family for the next four years.”

This isn’t the first time I’ve written about a prominent Democrat crossing party lines to endorse Governor Kemp for a second term in office. I wrote about former Governor Joe Frank Harris endorsing Kemp in October. Former Governor Roy Barnes endorsed GOP state Senator Tyler Harper for agriculture commissioner, which was a move highly criticized by Democrats. And the widow of former Governor Zell Miller, Shirley Miller, endorsed Kemp for re-election.

Recent polls show the likelihood of Governor Kemp winning the race against Democrat Stacey Abrams with over 50% of the votes, which eliminates the need for a run-off.

A poll carried out by Remington Research Group between November 1 and November 2 showed that Kemp is ahead with 55 percent of support from likely general election voters compared to 41 percent of support for Abrams. Meanwhile, 3 percent of those surveyed said they haven’t decided who they would vote for.

Stacey Abrams is not a good candidate, at least for the times in which we find ourselves. Like all other Democrat candidates, she focused on abortion as a top issue to get voters to the polls and that is just not what voters want to hear. Voters want to hear about everyday issues like inflation, energy prices, the baby formula shortage, rising crime, and the education of their children. Polling shows that suburban white women have swung back to voting for Republicans and that is how elections are won. The polls show it isn’t just conservative suburban women but all suburban women who are voting for Republicans this election cycle. Voters have lived with the damage Joe Biden has caused to the economy and life in general and they’ve had enough.

Voters look forward, not backward. Abrams is still focusing on voter suppression and that trope has proven to be false. The early voting numbers in Georgia are setting records. Stacey Abrams is an election denier who refused to concede in her last run against Governor Kemp. We’ll see if history repeats itself this time around when she loses again to Kemp.