In final debate, Kemp won't say whether he'd sign new abortion limits - The Atlanta Journal Constitution

Stacey Abrams, his Democratic opponent, faced demands from the Republican to instrumentality a presumption connected whether she endorsed immoderate termination restrictions aft the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. She said she has agelong backed banning abortions aft the constituent of fetal “viability.”

And arsenic the hourlong statement shifted to transgression justice, Abrams bristled astatine Kemp’s boast of endorsements from section instrumentality enforcement officials, saying she doesn’t person the blessing of “107 sheriffs who privation to beryllium capable to instrumentality Black radical disconnected the streets” earlier rapidly adding that not each sheriff “wants that.”

Both besides clashed implicit voting rights, with Abrams accusing the Republican of championing efforts to restrict entree to the ballot box. Kemp dismissed the barb successful a back-and-forth that evoked the affectional disagreement implicit predetermination argumentation that dominated their 2018 race.

The exchanges were among the astir consequential of the last statement of a heated rematch that has featured dramatically antithetic visions for the state’s economy, transgression justness system, wellness attraction and astir each different large policy.

Both candidates tried to maximize possibly the past large-scale level to marque their closing pitches to voters with a last week of aboriginal voting kicking disconnected Monday, followed by the Nov. 8 election. More than 1.6 cardinal Georgians person already formed ballots, mounting a grounds midterm pace.

Trailing Kemp successful astir polls, Abrams utilized the showdown to pummel a Republican she said has “refused to bash close by our people” by supporting restrictions that prohibition astir abortions arsenic soon arsenic six weeks of pregnancy.

And Kemp tried to pivot to the economy to trumpet his fiscal grounds and assail “40-year precocious Joe Biden inflation.” He peppered his remarks with reminders that helium lifted economical restrictions successful the opening weeks of the coronavirus pandemic.

“We’re 1 caller COVID variant distant from Ms. Abrams wanting to fastener our authorities down,” Kemp said, adding: “I’ve been focused connected the radical of the state, making definite they could get backmost to enactment and their kid was successful the classroom.”

With polls showing most Georgians oppose the recently enacted termination restrictions, Abrams has warned Republicans volition question caller limits nether 4 much years with Kemp arsenic governor.

Kemp said astatine an Atlanta Press Club statement earlier this period that helium wouldn’t enactment caller restrictions, including connected fertility treatments oregon commencement control. But connected Sunday helium was asked specifically whether helium would motion further limits into instrumentality if they’re passed by a Republican-controlled Legislature.

“I’m not going to accidental yes oregon nary to immoderate circumstantial portion of legislation,” erstwhile pressed by Richard Elliot, a Channel 2 newsman serving arsenic a panelist. He added that helium won’t prosecute immoderate caller restrictions arsenic portion of his agenda, but “we’ll look astatine those erstwhile the clip comes.”

“It’s not my tendency to determination the needle immoderate further connected this issue,” Kemp said. “We’ve been dealing with this contented for 3 years. That’s wherever the General Assembly was. I personally don’t spot a request to spell back, but erstwhile you’re governor, you person to woody with each benignant of legislative issues that are retired there.”

Abrams noted Kemp “did not accidental helium wouldn’t” revisit the law. And she tried to necktie Kemp to Republican Senate hopeful Herschel Walker, who is accused by 2 ex-girlfriends of pressuring them to get abortions contempt his absorption to the procedure. Walker has denied their claims.

“He refuses to support us. He refuses to support us,” Abrams said of Kemp. “And yet helium defended Herschel Walker, saying that helium didn’t privation to beryllium progressive successful the idiosyncratic beingness of his moving mate.”

In a profoundly idiosyncratic note, Kemp emphasized that he, too, understood the idiosyncratic toll of a troubled pregnancy. He said his woman Marty suffered a “tragic, traumatic” miscarriage of what had been twins during her gestation with their oldest daughter.

Kemp besides tried to enactment Abrams connected the defensive, accusing the Democrat of repeatedly changing her stance connected whether she would backmost immoderate restrictions connected abortion.

After initially refusing to outline her position, she told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution successful June that she would acceptable that people erstwhile a “physician determines the fetus is viable extracurricular of the body, but successful the lawsuit of protecting the woman’s beingness oregon health.” At the debate, Abrams tried to clarify her stance.

It’s a “decision that should beryllium made betwixt a doc and a pistillate — arsenic a aesculapian choice,” she said, adding: “It is willful ignorance oregon misleading lies that alteration what I’ve said. But what I’ve besides ever said is that determination should not beryllium arbitrary timelines acceptable by men who bash not recognize biology.”

The rivals entered the statement with antithetic strategies.

With astir polls giving him important leads, Kemp aimed to debar immoderate gaffes that could energize Democrats portion challenging Abrams connected economical issues fashionable with plaything voters — a constituency helium mostly bypassed successful 2018 successful favor of a rural-powered strategy.

Abrams, meanwhile, hoped to energize her basal amid worries from elder Democrats astir elector apathy. Former President Barack Obama urged Georgia Democrats to enactment engaged, and Abrams has targeted her party’s most faithful voters with promises of “generational” change.

Abrams, too, has acknowledged the system is the astir important contented to galore Georgians, and she blamed Kemp’s enactment for expansive weapon policies and anti-abortion limits for concern backlash, including a determination to scrap the Music Midtown festival and threats to Georgia’s booming movie industry.

“We cognize that this is simply a politician who has refused to bash close by our people,” Abrams said.

Kemp defended his determination to motion a measurement that allows Georgians to transportation concealed handguns without archetypal getting a licence from the state. He noted that Atlanta is present a frontrunner to onshore the Democratic National Convention successful 2024 contempt Abrams’ bleak appraisal of the state’s economical reputation.

“If things are truthful bad,” helium asked, “why would that beryllium the case?”

The 2 besides sparred implicit crime, an contented that Republicans person emphasized successful Georgia and crossed the federation to rally voters. Kemp noted that Abrams pushed to destruct currency bail successful 2018 and accused her of supporting the “defund the police” movement, thing she has repeatedly called a “lie.”

“Men and women successful instrumentality enforcement cognize who is going to beryllium with them, who has had their backmost and volition proceed to person their back,” the politician said, highlighting enactment from 107 of the state’s sheriffs, including respective Democrats.

Abrams responded that she was nary subordinate of the “good ol’ boys club,” truthful she isn’t expecting organization enactment from instrumentality enforcement leaders.

“No, I don’t person 107 sheriffs who privation to beryllium capable to instrumentality Black radical disconnected the streets, who privation to beryllium capable to spell without accountability,” she said. “I don’t deliberation each sheriff wants that, but I bash cognize that we request a politician who believes successful some defending instrumentality enforcement but besides defending the radical of Georgia.”

As they’ve some said connected the run trail, the rivals committed to enactment the results of the predetermination — an accidental Kemp utilized to invoke Abrams’ refusal to concede successful 2018 and his enactment for Senate Bill 202, a GOP-approved rewrite of predetermination laws.

“In Georgia it’s casual to ballot and hard to cheat, and I’m committed to keeping it that way,” Kemp said. “And I’m the 1 that’s been truthful and honorable astir this.”

Abrams changeable backmost by accusing Kemp of embracing restrictive voting policies portion helium served arsenic caput of authorities for astir a decennary — and she called the caller predetermination rules an “abomination” designed to assistance Republicans.

Though the 2021 instrumentality guaranteed 3 weeks of in-person aboriginal voting and preserved no-excuse absentee voting, it besides constricted the usage of ballot driblet boxes and ended paperless online ballot requests by requiring voters to enactment a handwritten signature connected their application.

“It is simply a unspeakable instrumentality that has already sent radical location from the polls. The information that radical are voting is successful spite of SB 202, not due to the fact that of it. It was ne'er astir making definite that we had just elections successful Georgia,” she said. “It was astir gaming the election.”

Sunday’s statement was precise antithetic from their showdown earlier this period that was hosted by the Atlanta Press Club. Without Libertarian Shane Hazel connected the signifier to deflect attention, the 2 candidates traded blows passim the affair.

The mounting besides provided different reminder of their 2018 clash. Four years ago, a last statement betwixt the 2 candidates was canceled aft Kemp pulled out to alternatively run with then-President Donald Trump.

In this contest, Trump has disavowed Kemp and even suggested he’d alternatively spot Abrams arsenic politician than the incumbent helium erstwhile endorsed. As a motion of his diminished role, the erstwhile president’s sanction didn’t travel up during the hourlong affair.