Georgia debates: Perdue runs on election, Kemp pushes record

May 1, 2022, 6:03 PM | Updated: 6:09 pm

ATLANTA (AP) — After three Republican primary debates in Georgia’s governor’s race, a few things are clear: Former U.S. Sen. David Perdue wants the May 24 primary to be about the 2020 election, incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp wants the election to be about his record, and when in doubt any Republican should say they’re the one to beat Democrat Stacey Abrams in the fall.

Sunday’s debate sponsored by the Atlanta Press Club was a little different, with candidates Kandiss Taylor, Catherine Davis and Tom Williams included after the two earlier debates featured only Kemp and Perdue.

Polls show Perdue significantly behind Kemp, raising the chance the incumbent could clear 50% in May and avoid a possible June 21 runoff. While Perdue landed some licks on Kemp, especially in the April 24 debate, it’s unclear if the clashes have changed voters’ minds.

The debates come as voting begins in the May 24 primary. Some counties are already mailing absentee ballots, and early in-person voting begins Monday.

Here’s a look at some of the themes from the debates:

ELECTIONS AT CENTER STAGE

At times, the other candidates ganged up Sunday with Perdue to attack Kemp on elections and blame him for paving the way for Democratic control in Washington, a theme Perdue has been hammering.

“Brian Kemp gave us Joe Biden. He gave us the troubles we’re seeing in Georgia,” Williams said, even though Biden would have been elected president without winning Georgia.

Kemp continued to push back, saying he followed the law requiring that he certify the election. He sought to reassure Republican voters that he had solved problems with the restrictive election law Georgia passed and Kemp signed in 2021.

“I was as frustrated as anyone else with the 2020 election results,” Kemp said. “And I actually did something about working with the Georgia General Assembly to address those issues.”

Federal and state election officials and Donald Trump’s own attorney general have said there is no credible evidence the election was tainted. The former president’s allegations of fraud were also roundly rejected by courts, including by judges Trump appointed.

KEMP STANDS ON HIS RECORD

Kemp emphasizes his achievements, including raising teacher and state employee pay, cutting taxes and quickly lifting restrictions after Georgia’s brief COVID-19 lockdown.

“I’ve done all that I said I would do when I was campaigning in 2018,” Kemp said.

Perdue mounted a stronger defense of his senatorial record on Sunday, saying Kemp was taking credit for projects financed by federal money Perdue helped secure.

“We got the port deepened after 20 years of career politicians trying to get it deepened,” Perdue said of Savannah. “We brought the cyber warfare headquarters of the Army to Fort Gordon. We got disaster relief for the farmers in south Georgia.”

WHEN IN DOUBT, MENTION STACEY

When asked if they would support the Republican nominee Sunday, even if it’s not them, several of the candidates turned the question into a discourse against Abrams.

Kemp and Perdue mentioned Abrams 19 times in the second debate, leading Abrams to tweet “Clearly, I live in their heads rent free.”

Invoking fear of Abrams has been a constant throughout the debates, using a fear of her election to motivate Republicans, and it continued Sunday.

“You better win this race right now because if Stacey Abrams wins this race, we will not win a Senate majority this year and we will not win the presidency in 2024,” Perdue said Sunday.

But Davis said the constant discussion of Abrams was taking away from an honest look at the Republicans.

“Stacey Abrams is not the standard by which the voters should measure the next governor,” Davis said. “You’ve turned her into the bogeyman. The way you get rid of a bogeyman is to turn the lights on.”

EDUCATION FINALLY SHOWS UP

Education had been mentioned only in passing in the first two debates, although on Sunday candidates fielded multiple questions about public schools.

Kemp was questioned about whether bills he signed that are meant to prevent the teaching of “divisive concepts” would deter people from becoming teachers.

“That’s what people want…,” Kemp said. “They’re worried about their children and what they’re being taught in the classroom.”

He also touted the $5,000 pay raise that he pushed through for teachers in two steps.

But other candidates focused on doing more to prevent ideology from infiltrating the classroom.

“The No. 1 thing we can do for our teachers, our parents and most of our children is just get the woke mob out of our schools in Georgia,” Perdue said.

IT’S PERSONAL

Perdue and Kemp showed real dislike for each other, repeatedly calling each other liars in the first two contests.

“I’m just telling you the worst mistake I ever made, was getting Donald Trump’s endorsement for this man,” Perdue said Thursday at WTOC-TV in Savannah.

Kemp retorted multiple times that Perdue was attacking him because he had no record of his own, saying it was Perdue’s fault that he had lost his reelection bid to Democrat Jon Ossoff in the 2021 runoff.

“The reason everybody here tonight is looking in the rearview mirror is because they don’t have a record to win in the future,” Kemp said Sunday.

___

Follow Jeff Amy on Twitter at http://twitter.com/jeffamy.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP

FILE - Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer speaks inside the Recorders Office, Nov. 9, 2022, in...
Associated Press

Dominion conspiracies highlighted by Fox lawsuit have election officials concerned for safety

Maricopa County officials are bracing for what could happen when it comes time to replace its contract for voting equipment.
2 days ago
A building is damaged and trees are down after severe storm swept through Little Rock, Ark., Friday...
Associated Press

Tornado causes widespread damage to buildings, vehicles in Little Rock

A tornado raced through Little Rock and surrounding areas Friday, splintering homes, overturning vehicles and tossing trees.
2 days ago
FILE - Former President Donald Trump speaks with reporters while in flight on his plane after a cam...
Associated Press

Worries grow that Trump indictment could undermine public confidence in other investigations

Trump’s attempts to overturn those results amid false claims of widespread fraud are at the heart of two other ongoing investigations.
2 days ago
(Facebook Photo/Superior Court of Arizona in Yavapai County)...
Associated Press

Arizona judge has cases reassigned following DUI arrest

The Arizona Supreme Court has ruled that all cases currently assigned to a Yavapai County Superior Court judge recently arrested on suspicion of extreme DUI will be reassigned to other judges.
6 days ago
Haitian migrant Gerson Solay, 28, carries his daughter, Bianca, as he and his family cross into Can...
Associated Press

US, Canada to end loophole that allows asylum-seekers to move between countries

President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday announced a plan to close a loophole to an immigration agreement.
9 days ago
Expert skateboarder Di'Orr Greenwood, an artist born and raised in the Navajo Nation in Arizona and...
Associated Press

Indigenous skateboard art featured on new stamps unveiled at Phoenix skate park

The Postal Service unveiled the “Art of the Skateboard" stamps at a Phoenix skate park, featuring designs from Indigenous artists.
9 days ago

Sponsored Articles

(Photo: OCD & Anxiety Treatment Center)...

Here’s what you need to know about OCD and where to find help

It's fair to say that most people know what obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders generally are, but there's a lot more information than meets the eye about a mental health diagnosis that affects about one in every 100 adults in the United States.
...
Day & Night Air Conditioning, Heating and Plumbing

Company looking for oldest air conditioner and wants to reward homeowner with new one

Does your air conditioner make weird noises or a burning smell when it starts? If so, you may be due for an AC unit replacement.
...
Quantum Fiber

How high-speed fiber internet edges out cable for everyday use

In a world where technology drives so much of our daily lives, a lack of high-speed internet can be a major issue.
Georgia debates: Perdue runs on election, Kemp pushes record