Republican Gov. Brian Kemp and Democratic challenger Stacey Abrams offered differing visions for Georgia on abortion, the economy and voting in a policy-heavy debate.
Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, left, and Democratic challenger Stacey Abrams face off in a televised debate, in Atlanta, Sunday, Oct. 30, 2022. – Georgia's Republican Gov. Brian Kemp and Democratic challenger Stacey Abrams traded harsh attacks on Georgia's elections during the pair's final debate Sunday before Georgia's Nov. 8 election, while elaborating on their positions on abortion and offering sharply differing visions for the state's economy.
Though Kemp and Abrams disputed issues with specificity throughout the 60-minute debate, they reserved their most personal back-and-forth for a discussion of voting rights, exposing the origins of a rivalry that goes back to when Kemp was secretary of state and Abrams was a state House member, before each ran for governor in 2018.
“The fact that people are voting is in spite of SB 202, not because of it,” she said, referring to the GOP election law. “It was never about making sure that we had fair elections in Georgia. It was about gaming the election for Brian Kemp so he could keep people out of the polling place.” Abrams argued that Kemp's economy hasn't boosted enough Georgians. She pointed to her proposals to spend the state surplus on raises for teachers and some law enforcement officers, expand Medicaid, boost child care programs for working parents, among other proposals.
While Kemp highlighted his administration’s push to curtail gang activity and violence in Georgia, Abrams criticized the administration for not thinking “holistically” about the root causes of crime, blaming Kemp's loosening of gun laws for a rise in violence.