ATLANTA — Four years after Republican Brian Kemp beat Democrat Stacey Abrams in one of the closest races for governor in Georgia’s history, the two met again Monday night in the first debate of their highly anticipated rematch.
Crime and the economy dominated the hourlong debate; abortion, a key issue this year and one on which Kemp and Abrams strongly disagree, received barely a mention.
Kemp used every opportunity he could to tout the record he has built since he defeated Abrams in 2018. That was especially true when it came to the state’s economy. As he has done on the campaign trail, he credited his decision to reopen the state from COVID-19 lockdown protocols with amassing a healthy budget surplus, totaling more than $6 billion this year.
