Gov. Brian Kemp (R) and Stacey Abrams (D) had one last debate to persuade Georgia voters still undecided about whom to support in the governor’s race, and the pair used the platform to criticize one another on everything from abortion to guns, with Abrams also attacking Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker (R).
Roughly one week before Election Day, Abrams, a former Georgia state lawmaker, is behind the incumbent by an average of 7 to 8 points, according to FiveThirtyEight and RealClearPolitics, respectively.
Here are five takeaways from their final hourlong debate:
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Kemp and Abrams each appealed to the middle ground on abortion
With Democrats trying to leverage abortion access as a wedge issue this midterm election cycle, Kemp repeated that Georgia voters are permitted to disagree with his anti-abortion position. At the same time, Abrams reiterated she believes in limitations that take viability into account.
Alluding to Georgia’s “heartbeat bill,” which was passed three years ago, Kemp described his 18-year-old anti-abortion stance as “honest and transparent.” But he avoided a question on whether he would endorse stricter measures, such as those adopted by Texas.
“It is not my desire to move the needle any further on this issue,” Kemp said. “I personally don’t see a need to go back. But when you’re governor, you have to deal with all kinds of legislative issues that are out there, so we’ll look at those when the time comes.”
Abrams seized on his equivocation, contending women are “in danger” as long as Kemp is governor and promising to repeal H.B. 481 if she replaces him.
“Brian Kemp does not have a plan for the lives of the women who are being forced to carry their unwanted pregnancies,” she said, calling late-term abortions “concerning.” “He refuses to defend us, and yet he defended Herschel Walker, saying that he didn’t want to be involved in the personal life of his running mate. But he doesn’t mind being involved in the personal lives and the personal medical choices of women in Georgia.”
Kemp dinged Abrams and Democrats on election integrity after 2018 contest
Kemp defended his state’s election laws after reports that almost 1.6 million Georgians have already voted, a record. He was adamant he would “absolutely” accept the outcome of the Nov. 8 contest before criticizing Abrams for her delay in doing the same after their 2018 race and national Democrats for scrutinizing his recent reforms.
“She’s benefited personally from that running around and scaring people about suppressing votes, suppressive legislation,” Kemp said of Abrams. “We had people from New York criticizing us about [S.B. 202]. We had President Biden criticizing us about this bill. … In Georgia, it’s easy to vote and hard to cheat, and I’m committed to keeping it that way.”
Abrams similarly defended her lawsuits against Kemp’s election laws, particularly over his so-called voter registration purges. She provided a one-word reply when asked whether she would accept the results next week: “Yes.”
Kemp tried to corner Abrams on ‘defunding the police’
Kemp attempted, with limited success, to pin Abrams on her previous statements regarding “defunding the police” and cash bail changes.
“When we had civil unrest, and we had hundreds of people that were literally trying to burn our capital city down. This past session, we gave our attorney general more powers to go after street gangs because of, quite honestly, local [district attorneys] that don’t want to prosecute gangs,” he said. “It is Miss Abrams that has said that she wants to defund the police. She wants to eliminate cash bail and have ‘Get Out of Jail Free’ cards.”
Abrams underscored that police and other law enforcement resources are being stretched by mental health problems. But she underlined that she disagreed that redirecting money was the answer. Instead, she advocated investing in education and gun control.
“I’ve never said that I believe in defunding the police,” Abrams said. “I believe in public safety and accountability.”
Kemp and Abrams drew swords on gun policy
Kemp asked the moderator for the opportunity to respond to Abrams’s criticism of his gun policy. He asserted he had eased restrictions, in part, to address a backlog created by the pandemic.
“[Criminals] don’t care what the laws are. They already got the guns,” he said. “The problem was law-abiding citizens couldn’t get a dang permit from the local government because governments were shut down. They were slow-playing the permitting process. The law is still the same that’s out there.”
Abrams pressed Kemp on background checks, specifically for private sales at gun shows, and waiting periods before purchases.
“I know that the person responsible for the weapon is the person holding it,” Abrams said. “But I also believe in trust but verify, and the only way to verify whether a person is lawful or not is to look at their background.”
“We need a governor who puts safety before the NRA,” she added.
Kemp and Abrams spoke to the economic pinch being experienced by voters
Abrams kept saying the “economic pain” being felt by Georgians is “real” before blaming Kemp’s conservative politics for driving away woke company business from the state.
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“What I will not do is give tax cuts to the wealthy and the powerful,” she said. “I will focus on our workers and our small businesses, putting them first, making sure that especially minority-owned businesses and our rural businesses get access to contracts.”
Kemp said the country’s poor economic conditions have been exacerbated by President Joe Biden and Democrats who “have complete control of Washington, D.C.” He cited his state income tax cut, property tax relief program, gas tax holiday, and stimulus checks.
