Trump To Georgia: 'Move On' From Governor's Race

ATLANTA, GA -- President Donald Trump urged Georgians on Friday to move from this year's nationally watched governor's race, in which Brian Kemp has already declared a win but from which Stacey Abrams refuses to concede. Trump, an early supporter of Kemp, also ridiculed claims there are still more votes to be counted in the race, as Abrams alleges. For his part, Kemp is already moving forward with a transition team and, on Thursday, officially resigned as secretary of state.

On Wednesday afternoon, Kemp claimed victory and, standing alongside Deal, announced his transition team Thursday morning. He also announced his formal resignation as secretary of state, and Deal named Robyn Crittenden, commissioner of the state Department of Human Services, to the post.

Abrams, however, is preparing to mount legal challenges, arguing that not every vote has been counted. She is also arguing that Hurricane Michael impacted the issuance of absentee ballots in southwest Georgia's Dougherty County. Abrams needs a little more than 25,000 votes for her that would push the race into a runoff.

Kemp commented on the race on his Twitter feed:

Kemp, for his part, stayed away from the vote counting controversy, saying:

With all 159 counties reporting and 100 percent of precincts counted, unofficial final numbers from the secretary of state's office show Kemp with 1,973.875 votes to Abrams 1,910,708, a difference of more than 63,000 votes. while Libertarian Ted Metz has 37,093. That puts Kemp at 50.33% to Abrams 48.72%.

SEE ALSO: Georgia's New Secretary Of State Makes History

On Thursday, Kemp said "the votes are not there for [Abrams]," adding there are about 25,000 outstanding absentee ballots that make his lead insurmountable. Abrams campaign says Kemp's information is not credible.

The state chapter of the NAACP have also filed lawsuits claiming Spelman and Morehouse College students were improperly forced to vote with a provisional ballot because their names didn't appear on voter registration lists.

• Kemp Resigns As Sec. Of State, Names Governor's Transition Team
• Kemp Claims Win In GA Governor's Race; Abrams Doesn't Concede
• Gallery: Election Day In Georgia

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WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 07: U.S. President Donald Trump gives remarks a day after the midterm elections on November 7, 2018 in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC. Republicans kept the Senate majority but lost control of the House to the Democrats. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)