By John A. Tures, Professor of Political Science, LaGrange College

For eleven straight years, Georgia has been a leader among states as the best place to do business. And while Donald Trump has been critical of Georgia Governor Brian Kemp for his leadership in the Peach State, Minnesota’s Governor Tim Walz, the Democratic Party VP candidate, isn’t too far behind Georgia.

Area Development Magazine, a leading rater of states and their business climate touted the Peach State for their education system, tax policy, and infrastructure, from roads and railways to airport and coastal ports.

Last year at the awards ceremony, Kemp said “the people who help businesses choose where to make long-term investments have repeatedly said Georgia is the best state in the nation for opportunity…Despite the unprecedented challenges we’ve seen in recent years, men and women across Georgia continued putting in countless hours of hard work for their communities. Thanks to their efforts, we’ve brought record-breaking jobs and investments to all four corners of the state, especially to rural Georgia.”

Governor Kemp is also good about sharing the credit, unlike politicians who claim to have single-handedly built the economy. Nor does he brag about being the best. He has the humility to tout the role of others, which gives him an approval rating the national nominee could only dream of.

What did Trump think of this record accomplishment? Just last month, the ex-president attacked Kemp, claiming he was a “bad guy” and a “very average governor,” and “Little Brian Kemp” because Georgia’s First Lady wouldn’t commit to voting for him, according to Business Insider. Trump also demanded of the Kemps “I just want them to do their job for Georgia.” I’d call helping the state win the best place to do business all of the years as more than average and doing their job. Trump should focus on doing his, something not going well as of this article.

Trump’s team and Kemp’s camp have claimed the two made peace, though I have yet to see Trump apologize for insulting Kemp or ignoring Georgia’s record, or admitting he was wrong. I’m not holding my breath.

Area Development Magazine isn’t the only publication to recognize Georgia’s greatness. CNBC has a ranking for” all 50 states based upon 128 metrics in 10 broad categories of competitiveness.” Georgia is ranked fourth on their scale. Behind them is Minnesota, sixth best among states as a place to do business.

Such a measure covers infrastructure, workforce, economy, quality of life, the cost of doing business, and technology & innovation.

The state’s governor, Tim Walz, has been derided by Team Trump has being Marxist. In early August, Trump said “This is a ticket that would want this country to go communist immediately, if not sooner,” according to The New York Post.

What’s clear is that Trump can’t tell whether a state is good for doing business or not, based on his critical comments. If the GOP nominee prevails, let’s hope he doesn’t lead us into another recession like the one in 2020, which was bad for business.

John A. Tures is a professor of political science at LaGrange College in LaGrange, Georgia. His views are his own. He can be reached at jtures@lagrange.edu. His Twitter account is JohnTures2.