A University of Georgia journalism professor offered an apology last week for tweeting Republican gubernatorial nominee Brian Kemp was a "nice guy," saying it was "ill-timed" and seemed like a political endorsement.
Kemp easily defeated Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle in their runoff on Tuesday to win the GOP nomination for governor, buoyed by a late endorsement from President Donald Trump.
Professor Charles Davis, who is the Dean of UGA's prestigious Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, tweeted shortly after the race was called for Kemp on Tuesday, "I went to high school with GOP guv candidate @BrianKempGA. We played YMCA ball from childhood. Politics be damned. He is a nice guy, always was. Kind to a fault. He's a friend, always has been, and will be when we're old(er) and grey(er). That's how all this should work, people."
Campus Reform highlighted some of the intense criticism Davis took for offering warm words about Kemp, with some followers calling him a "racist" who "spews bigoted and dangerous rhetoric." In one Kemp ad during the primary, he talked about rounding up "criminal illegals" in his pick-up truck.
Davis eventually deleted the tweet and explained to one critic last week that it was "simply an acknowledgement of a long friendship," not a political statement.
I'm sorry I was unclear. It was not at all a political statement, simply an acknowledgement of a long friendship. I am sorry I muddled that message.
— Charles N Davis (@GradyDeanUGA) July 26, 2018
You posted that less than an hour after Kemp won the GOP nomination for Governor & you are starting it wasn't a"political statement"? The context says otherwise. You even said "politics be damned" in the tweet. That was a political statement and to say otherwise is disingenuous.
— Tim No-Relation Denson (@TimDensonATH) July 26, 2018
It truly was not, but point well taken that it was ill-timed.
— Charles N Davis (@GradyDeanUGA) July 26, 2018
On Friday, he offered an apology to "anyone offended by my tweet shout out to Brian Kemp," adding, "It was ill-timed and poorly written. I've read and learned so much from you all and will endeavor to be more thoughtful."
I’d like to apologize to anyone offended by my tweet shout out to Brian Kemp. It was ill-timed and poorly written. I’ve read and learned so much from you all and will endeavor to be more thoughful.
— Charles N Davis (@GradyDeanUGA) July 27, 2018
On Monday, he added, "To clarify, neither UGA nor its administration had any role in the retraction of my earlier message. I should not have used a social media account associated with UGA to post a message that some construed as political."
To clarify, neither UGA nor its administration had any role in the retraction of my earlier message. I should not have used a social media account associated with UGA to post a message that some construed as political.
— Charles N Davis (@GradyDeanUGA) July 30, 2018
Kemp now faces Democratic nominee Stacey Abrams in one of the nation's most closely watched races; Georgia hasn't elected a Democratic governor since 1998, but progressives have long had their eye on flipping the state house.