Republican candidate for Georgia Governor Gov. Brian Kemp gives a statement to members of the media Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022 in Winterville, Ga. (AP Photo/Brett Davis)

Republican Brian Kemp has retained his position as Georgia governor, defeating Democrat Stacey Abrams for the second time in a highly competitive election.

CNN declared Kemp’s victory at 11:14 p.m. EST, in a close race that had him ahead in the polls by only a few points leading up to Election Day. As of 11:15 p.m., Kemp holds 54% of the vote.

This will mark Kemp’s second term as Georgia governor, after a 2018 contest that was similarly known as one of the most narrowly decided races for governor that year and was dominated by allegations of voter suppression. If elected either time, Abrams — an author, lawyer and voting rights activist — would have become the nation’s first Black woman governor.

Kemp’s win could have a lasting effect on the future of abortion rights in Georgia, a central topic in the final few debates before the election. The state passed a law three years ago that bans the procedure after six weeks, which is now being contested in an Atlanta court.

Abrams supports legal abortions, unlike Kemp, who admitted in May that he was not aware of the landmark Supreme Court birth control case Griswold v. Connecticut, even as he expressed openness to passing legislation that could ban birth control.