Kemp (Again) Misleads Voters on Extreme Record in Final Gov. Debate

Statement from Democratic Party of Georgia Chair, Congresswoman Nikema Williams

Gov. Brian Kemp continued his strategy of misleading voters and dodging questions on his extreme agenda and dangerous record during tonight’s final Georgia gubernatorial debate. Kemp fully embraced his extremist policies that risk Georgia’s economy and public safety, and curtail Georgians’ freedom to vote, reproductive rights, and access to health care.

The Democratic Party of Georgia released the following statement in response:

“Once again, the governor attempted to pull the wool over Georgians’ eyes. Under Kemp, crime is rising, health coverage is blocked for half a million people, and our freedom to vote and right to make our own private medical decisions are under assault.

“Georgia deserves more — and we can get more in a governor by electing Stacey Abrams. From helping Georgians save on monthly expenses like education, health care, and housing, to expanding Medicaid for hundreds of thousands, to fighting to repeal Kemp’s extreme abortion ban and permitless carry law, Stacey has plans and priorities to make Georgia safer, freer, and more prosperous for all of us.

“With her winning debate performance, Stacey showed us tonight that she’s the leader who’s done the math, understands the issues, and has the courage, experience, and care to deliver for all Georgians,” stated Congresswoman Nikema Williams, Chair of the Democratic Party of Georgia.

More on Kemp’s attempts to mislead Georgia voters:

• Georgia’s Economy: Kemp tries to take credit for Georgia’s economy and the billions in surplus funds the state is sitting on. But he won’t mention how Democrats’ American Rescue Plan, which he opposed even as it delivered billions to Georgia, boosted state revenues and the state budget. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Georgia’s budget is fueled by “massive federal COVID-19 relief funding.”

• Crime and Public Safety: Kemp attempts to mislead Georgians into believing he’s successfully taken on crime. But Kemp has confessed there’s been a rise in crime across the state on his watch. According to FBI crime data, “homicides jumped 55%” in Georgia from 2019-2020, while violent crime rose by 23% and assaults by 33%. Georgia now has the 10th highest murder rate in the U.S. — over 80% of homicides involve a gun in the state.

• Architect of Voter Suppression: Kemp’s SB 202 made numerous changes to Georgia’s election laws that made it harder for eligible voters to stay on the rolls, vote by mail, and vote in person. As Secretary of State, Kemp oversaw 1.4 million voter registrations canceled — nearly 670,000 registrations were canceled in 2017 and low-income and minority Georgians were most likely to be impacted. Kemp put 53,000 voter registrations on hold just before the 2018 election — nearly 70% were Black voters. After Kemp encouraged voting location closures, Georgia closed higher percentages of locations than any other state — Black voters made up a significant percentage of the population in several of the top counties where polls were closed.

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