Kemp, Abrams cover new topics in Georgia governor's debate: voter integrity, housing

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Georgia gubernatorial candidates Stacey Abrams and Brian Kemp compared legislative records and critiqued plans for the future of Georgia in a debate Sunday in Atlanta.

Both candidates repeated talking points from their previous debate, which covered topics like education and health care access. Abrams and Kemp also revisited inflation, law enforcement and crime.

But they also treaded new ground, particularly around affordable housing, voter integrity and inflation. Kemp talked more candidly about supporting Georgia's new abortion restrictions, which includes a six-week ban, while Abrams addressed Georgia's gun laws and their effects on business and safety, referencing the cancellation of Atlanta festival Music Midtown and the 2021 Atlanta spa shootings.

The hourlong session was the second and final debate ahead of the 2022 midterms. WSB, an Atlanta-area television station, hosted the debate.

Early voting continues through Friday. Election Day is Nov. 8.

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Here's what you need to know about the debate and its impact on the governor's race.

Repeats from the first debate

When it came time to discuss crime, Kemp relied on an oft-repeated campaign slogan.

"Ms. Abrams is going to attack my record because she doesn't want to talk about her own record," he said.

Kemp insisted that Abrams wanted to defund the police, alluding to a quote she gave in a CNN interview discussing the Black Lives Matter movement. Abrams countered by saying Kemp had failed to adequately invest in law enforcement agencies.

"Local law enforcement are experiencing shortages that are not being funded by this government and federal COVID money as a bonus is not the same as a plan for their investment," she said.

Abrams also criticized Kemp's approach to dealing with crime.

"I'm happy to talk about my record, sir. I've done so repeatedly. But I've not been in office for the last four years. So I was not the governor when gun violence went up in the state of Georgia," she said.

Kemp responded by pointing out his work to combat gang violence, a platform he also ran on in 2018.

"I knew there was a gang problem. And that's why I ran with a very straightforward agenda to create a gang task force at the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to join with the locals to help them with prosecution and locking up gang members, going after those that are selling dope on our street and killing our kids and our community members," Kemp said.

What's new in Kemp's, Abrams' talking points

Kemp's campaign has been dogged by the question of abortion rights since the overturn of Roe v. Wade and enactment of Georgia's six-week abortion ban. On Sunday night, the governor attempted to get in front of the criticism by pointing out other policies he characterized as "pro-life," like foster care and adoption reform.

"I understand that people can disagree on policy, but at least people know where I have been. I've been consistent. I've been transparent. I've done the exact things I said I would do," Kemp said.

Abrams appeared to corner him with the assertion that Georgia's new restrictions would lead to authorities investigating miscarriages. Kemp also would not give a definitive answer as to whether he would support further legislation on abortion.

"Let's be clear, he did not say he wouldn't," she said. "We know that under the law that he signed, women can be investigated for miscarriages and other pregnancy losses."

The two also traded barbs over Georgia's gun laws. Abrams said state gun laws were not only costing them business – pointing out the decision by Music Midtown to cancel over safety concerns – but lives.

"We are a state that does not have a waiting period, which is why a young man was able to secure a weapon and kill six Asian women in three different locations in less than two hours," she said in a reference to the 2021 Atlanta-area spa killings.

Kemp defended the state of Georgia's gun laws, which were changes earlier this year to allow for permit-less carry, also known as constitutional carry.

"There are over 20 states that have passed constitutional carry, giving law-abiding citizens their legal right to protect and defend themselves and to legally carry," he said. "When she's talking about all these other people, they're breaking the law"

On affordable housing, Kemp said the state was doing fine, using COVID-19 relief funds to assist those adversely affected during the pandemic, whereas Abrams said COVID-19 relief checks and state government "wishy washiness" was not enough.

Key themes from closing statements

In his closing remarks, Kemp emphasized that he believed Georgia was prospering.

"I'm so optimistic about the future of our state," he said. "We're seeing economic opportunity, no matter your ZIP code or your neighborhood, because we've been focused on strengthening rural Georgia and many other things.

Kemp said he believed Abrams was "trying to scare" voters.

"Unfortunately, Stacey Abrams said we live in the worst state in the country," he said.

Abrams closed with a look towards struggling Georgians, urging them to act.

"Under Brian Kemp's four years as governor, crime has gone up, six hospitals have closed, housing prices are skyrocketing and communities are in turmoil. [Georgians] are worried about their rights and they're worried about their futures," she said. "But I want to do better by you."

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Brian Kemp, Stacey Abrams debate covered voter integrity, housing