Four takeaways from the Georgia governor's debate - CNN

CNN  — 

Republican Gov. Brian Kemp and Democrat Stacey Abrams sparred implicit wellness care, transgression and punishment, and voting rights successful a Monday statement arsenic they made their closing arguments to voters successful a reprise of their fiercely contested 2018 contention for the aforesaid job.

The stakes for this nighttime were arguably higher for Abrams, who has trailed successful astir caller polling of the race. Kemp, 1 of the fewer salient Republicans to defy erstwhile President Donald Trump’s lies astir a stolen predetermination successful 2020, has positioned himself arsenic a much traditional, pro-business blimpish – a tack that his gentle absorption to Trump reinforced with plaything voters. Abrams has argued that Kemp shouldn’t get immoderate peculiar recognition for doing his occupation and not breaking the law.

Kemp and Abrams were joined by Libertarian nominee Shane Hazel, who took shots astatine some his opponents and plainly stated his tendency to nonstop the predetermination to a run-off. (If nary 1 receives a wide bulk connected Election Day, the apical 2 finishers beforehand to a one-on-one contest.) But it was the 2 large enactment candidates, who ran choky campaigns 4 years agone with Kemp emerging the constrictive victor, who dominated the statement stage. Their disagreements were pointed, arsenic they were successful 2018, their attacks and rebuttals well-rehearsed and, to a ample degree, predictable.

Here are the 4 main takeaways from the Georgia governor’s debate:

Like Republican Senate campaigner Herschel Walker did successful his statement with Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock past week, Kemp took each accidental – and erstwhile they weren’t there, tried anyhow – to link Abrams to Biden, who, contempt winning the authorities successful 2020, is simply a profoundly unpopular fig determination now.

“I would punctual you that Stacey Abrams campaigned to beryllium Joe Biden’s moving mate,” Kemp said, referring to the chatter astir Abrams perchance being chosen arsenic his moving mate 2 years ago.

During an speech with the moderators astir abortion, Kemp pivoted to the system – and again, invoked Biden and Democrats connected Capitol Hill.

“Georgians should cognize that my tendency is to proceed to assistance them combat done 40-year precocious ostentation and precocious state prices and different things that our Georgia families are facing close now, rather honestly, due to the fact that of atrocious policies successful Washington, DC, from President Biden and the Democrats that person implicit control,” helium said.

Abrams, dissimilar truthful galore different Democrats moving this year, has not sought to region herself from the President and precocious said publically that she would invited him successful Georgia. First woman Jill Biden visited past week for an Abrams fundraiser, wherever she criticized Kemp implicit his presumption connected termination arsenic good arsenic his refusal to grow Medicaid and voting rights.

Early connected successful the night, Kemp was questioned astir remarks helium made – taped without his cognition – astatine a tailgate with University of Georgia College Republicans successful which helium expressed immoderate openness to a propulsion to prohibition contraceptive drugs similar “Plan B.”

Asked if helium would prosecute specified authorities if reelected, Kemp said, “No, I would not” and that “it’s not my tendency to” propulsion further termination restrictions, earlier pivoting to an onslaught connected Biden, nationalist Democrats and much speech astir his economical record.

Pressed connected the remarks, Kemp suggested helium was conscionable humoring a radical of radical helium didn’t know.

On the tape, Kemp, though helium didn’t look enthusiastic, said, “You could instrumentality up beauteous overmuch everything, but you’ve got to beryllium successful legislative league to bash that.”

When asked if it was thing helium could do, Kemp said, “It conscionable depends connected wherever the legislators are,” and that he’d “have to cheque and spot due to the fact that determination are a batch of legalities.”

Georgia successful 2019 passed and Kemp signed a alleged “heartbeat” bill, which bans abortions astatine astir six weeks, and went into effect soon aft the Supreme Court overturned Roe. v. Wade. Before the ruling, termination was ineligible successful the authorities until 20 weeks into pregnancy.

Abrams has promised to enactment to “reverse” the law, though she would look important headwinds successful the GOP-controlled authorities legislature, and called the authorities instrumentality “cruel.”

One of the archetypal questions posed to Abrams centered connected her code efficaciously – but not with the precise connection – conceding the 2018 predetermination to Kemp.

In those remarks, Abrams made a symbolic constituent successful arguing that she was not conceding the contest, due to the fact that Kemp, arsenic the state’s apical elections official, and his allies had unfairly worked to suppress the vote. Instead, Abrams said then, she would lone “acknowledge” him arsenic the winner.

Some Republicans person tried to marque hay implicit the speech, successful a measurement of whataboutism usually attached to Trump’s refusal to judge the 2020 results. Abrams, isolated from a tribunal challenge, ne'er tried to overturn the result of her race.

Still, she was asked connected Monday nighttime whether she would judge the results of the coming predetermination – and said yes – earlier again accusing Kemp of, done the state’s caller restrictive voting law, SB 202, seeking to marque it much hard for radical to formed ballots.

“Brian Kemp was the caput of state,” Abrams said, recalling her opponent’s aged job. “He has assiduously denied entree to the close to vote.”

Kemp countered by pointing to precocious turnout numbers implicit the past fewer elections and, arsenic he’s said before, insisted the instrumentality made it “easy to ballot and hard to cheat.”

When the candidates were fixed the accidental to question 1 another, Kemp asked Abrams to sanction each the sheriffs who had endorsed her campaign.

The answer, of course, was that astir instrumentality enforcement groups successful the authorities are down the Republican – a constituent helium returned to passim the debate.

“Mr. Kemp, what you are trying to bash is proceed the prevarication that you’ve told truthful galore times I deliberation you judge it’s true. I enactment instrumentality enforcement and did truthful for 11 years (in authorities government),” Abrams said. “I worked intimately with the sheriff’s association.”

Abrams besides accused Kemp of cynically trying to weaponize transgression justness and nationalist information issues by pitting her against police. The reality, she said, was little cut-and-dry.

“Like astir Georgians, I pb a analyzable beingness wherever we request entree to assistance but we besides request to cognize we are harmless from radical violence,” she said, earlier turning to Kemp. “While you mightiness not person had that experience, excessively galore radical I know, have.”

Kemp, though, kept the connection simple. “I enactment information and justice,” helium said, often pointing to his anti-gang initiatives – particularly erstwhile helium was pressed connected the effect of his loosening weapon laws connected crime.