The nation must agree with Ray Charles’ 1960 hit, “Georgia [is] On My Mind,” after monitoring the race for leadership of the Peach State. It precipitated last night in the first debate between Georgia governor hopefuls Democrat Stacey Abrams and Libertarian Shane Hazel facing off against current Governor Brian Kemp.
After narrowly losing Georgia’s gubernatorial race in 2018, Democrat Abrams again confronts the Republican incumbent Governor Kemp at the ballot. According to recent polls, Kemp is leading by approximately five to ten percentage points.
Viewers can catch the second debate set for October 30. In case you missed round one, here are ESSENCE’s top 5 takeaways from the debate hosted by the Atlanta Press Club:
01
While most political debates involve the moderator asking questions of the panelists, last night, during one round, each candidate got to ask the other candidates a question and then respond with a rebuttal after their opponents answered.
As the candidates went head-to-head, much of the debate was extremely policy focused, interspersed with verbal sparring and personal attacks. From healthcare to education (with Hazel proposing the elimination of public education) to crime, each candidate laid out their intentions for Georgia if elected to office.
02
The right to vote is still a concern—Abrams campaigned heavily on this issue in 2018 and again drew upon similar themes.
Voting rights have been at the forefront in Georgia with the 2020 election and former President Trump’s claims of voter fraud. Since then, Kemp signed SB 202 into law, which Abrams vilified as an effort to “suppress the vote and seize electoral power.” Since 2018, Abrams has been a vocal advocate for voter access and registration, supporting nationwide efforts across the country, and her activism was instrumental in the 2020 presidential election.
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03
Candidates weighed in on their plans for law and order.
Early in the debate, the incumbent governor tried to criticize Abrams’ record and purported lack of support from the police and Georgia sheriffs. When Kemp stated that he was “going after street gangs,” Abrams was ready with her response. “Street gangs did not shoot six Asian women, going into a gun store, getting a weapon, and murdering six women…Street gangs aren’t the reason people are getting shot in parking lots and grocery stores and in schools,” Abrams said. “We can protect the 2nd Amendment and second-graders.”
04
Race continues to be a factor.
During their first match-up since 2018, Gov. Kemp referred to Abrams as “upset and mad.” This is especially egregious when considering this type of rhetoric as an oft-used racist trope against Black women. It’s also a tactic meant to gaslight and undermine Abrams’ stance on law enforcement. However, she responded with an anecdote about her family, citing her brothers; one brother who has committed crimes and one who has been pulled over for driving while Black. “Unlike you, I don’t have the luxury of relying on slogans to describe my position on public safety. I believe that we need safety and justice because I love both of my brothers.”
05
Kemp is campaigning on the record of his first term, citing four more years of prosperity, whereas Abrams indicated that she “wants more.”
Kemp stated, “I would just say that Ms. Abrams is going to do a lot of attacking of my record tonight because she doesn’t want to talk about her own record.” Throughout the debate, Abrams repeatedly referenced those left behind by Kemp’s policies, emphasizing that people of color should also be privy to the same opportunities as their white counterparts. Citing a host of broken campaign promises from Kemp’s 2018 campaign and Abrams closed, stating, “I see all of Georgia and as the next governor, it would be my intention to serve all of Georgia.”
