Kemp and Abrams spar over crime and public safety in final Georgia gubernatorial debate


Georgia gubernatorial candidates Gov. Brian Kemp (R) and Stacey Abrams (D) met for one last televised debate before the midterm elections on Sunday. Their second and final debate focused heavily on issues such as crime, guns, and public safety.
Kemp beat Abrams by a narrow margin in their first matchup for governor in 2018, and recent private and public polls show he has a lead of 5-10 points, per The New York Times. As the incumbent, Kemp spent much of the debate defending his political track record, while Abrams attempted to place the blame for increased violent crime on his shoulders, Politico reports.
When asked the first question about crime, Abrams responded, "I would encourage people to indeed look at the governor's record. Under his four years, violent crime has gone up, gun violence has gone up. This is a statewide challenge, and we have a governor who's only focusing on parts of the issue."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Kemp defended himself by accusing Abram of deflecting. "Ms. Abrams is going to attack my record because she doesn't want to talk about her own record," he said.
The governor attempted to link Abrams to the movement to defund the police, using a 2020 interview with a cable news network where Abrams stated she supported the reallocation of police resources to other areas, per Politico. Abrams responded to the allegations, stating, "He is lying again. And I've never said that I believe in defunding the police. I believe in public safety and accountability."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Theara Coleman has worked as a staff writer at The Week since September 2022. She frequently writes about technology, education, literature and general news. She was previously a contributing writer and assistant editor at Honeysuckle Magazine, where she covered racial politics and cannabis industry news.
-
Millions turn out for anti-Trump ‘No Kings’ rallies
Speed Read An estimated 7 million people participated, 2 million more than at the first ‘No Kings’ protest in June
-
DOJ indicts John Bolton over classified files
Speed Read Continuing the trend of going after his political enemies, Trump prosecutes his former national security adviser
-
Trump, Putin set summit as Zelenskyy lands in DC
Speed Read Trump and Putin have agreed to meet in Budapest soon to discuss ending the war in Ukraine
-
Courts deal setbacks to Trump’s Chicago operations
Speed Read President Donald Trump cannot deploy the National Guard in Illinois
-
Pentagon reporters turn in badges after refusing rules
Speed Read They refused to sign a restrictive new press policy imposed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
-
Supreme Court points to gutting Voting Rights Act
speed read States would no longer be required to consider race when drawing congressional maps
-
Trump says he authorized covert CIA ops in Venezuela
Speed Read He is also considering military strikes inside the country
-
‘Vile, racist’ leaked chats roil Young Republicans
Speed Read Leaders of Young Republican groups made racist, antisemitic and violent comments in private chats