Republican Gov. Brian Kemp speaks to supporters November 3 at a campaign stop in Marietta, Georgia. Kemp highlighted how he’s kept stores open during the pandemic, despite criticism from Democrats and health experts. “Who fought for you back then, when the political wind was blowing differently?” he said. Hide Riley Bunch/GPB subtitles
toggle caption
Riley Bunch/GPB
Republican Gov. Brian Kemp speaks to supporters November 3 at a campaign stop in Marietta, Georgia. Kemp highlighted how he’s kept stores open during the pandemic, despite criticism from Democrats and health experts. “Who fought for you back then, when the political wind was blowing differently?” he said.
Riley Bunch/GPB
ATLANTA — When Republican Gov. Brian Kemp took office after a narrow victory over Democrat Stacey Abrams in 2018, he pledged to invest in infrastructure, curb crime and improve schools.
“When I delivered my inaugural speech, I said, ‘I will work hard for every Georgian, whether you voted for me or not,'” he recently reminded a crowd of supporters that he is seeking a second term this year. “And that’s exactly what I did.”
Kemp signs a flyer Nov. 3 in Marietta, Georgia. He urged supporters to ignore polls that put him ahead of Democrat Stacey Abrams. “I don’t want you to believe any polls,” he said. “See, the national media is already writing stories about this and this. Let me tell you what they do: They try to lull us to sleep. Don’t believe that. Keep working like we’re five points down.” Riley Bunch/GPB Hide subtitles
toggle caption
Riley Bunch/GPB
A crowd of more than a hundred supporters cheers as Kemp descends from his campaign bus November 1 in Cumming, Georgia, shortly before a rally with former Vice President Mike Pence. Hide Riley Bunch/GPB subtitles
toggle caption
Riley Bunch/GPB
But beyond these enduring issues of public safety and education, the country’s governors have also been tested by events that would have been difficult to predict just a few years ago, such as the fall of Roe v. Wade, a global pandemic and a tumultuous 2020 election.
For many Americans, the upheaval has brought out the power of their governors more clearly, with decisions about abortion, the pandemic and elections resting with the states rather than Washington DC
Kemp smiles as Pence campaigns for governor leadership during a rally in Cumming, Georgia November 1. “I’m here because Brian Kemp is uniquely one of the most successful conservative governors in the United States,” said Pence Menge. “I’m here because Stacey Abrams can never be governor of the great state of Georgia.” Riley Bunch/GPB Hide subtitles
toggle caption
Riley Bunch/GPB
On the campaign trail, Kemp doesn’t talk much about the fallout from the 2020 election or last year’s overhaul of Georgia’s election laws, which Democrats have harshly criticized.
But he refers to 2020 in a different way, often beginning his blunt speech by mentioning his decision to reopen schools and businesses early in the pandemic, when most governors weren’t.
Kemp supporters take selfies as the governor takes the stage with Pence at a campaign rally in Cumming, Georgia on November 1. Riley Bunch/GPB Hide Caption
toggle caption
Riley Bunch/GPB
Pence joins Kemp for a second rally this campaign cycle. The Republican incumbent has successfully avoided any interference from former President Donald Trump on the campaign trail while wooing conservative voters. Hide Riley Bunch/GPB subtitles
toggle caption
Riley Bunch/GPB
“We are the incubators of democracy,” Kemp said in an interview. “Many of the things that you have seen that are good for our states may be good national policy or be done better at the state level than at the national level. And I think Covid has only exacerbated that.”
Like other Democrats running for governor across the country, Abrams has made abortion rights a centerpiece of the campaign. As governor, Kemp signed legislation banning most abortions after about six weeks.
Abrams at a rally in Marietta, Georgia on November 1. She has argued that Georgia’s $6.6 billion surplus should be used to bolster government services such as affordable housing programs, schools and health care. “We need a governor who knows it’s not enough to say you know there’s a problem,” she said. “We need a governor willing to invest in the response.” Hide Riley Bunch/GPB subtitles
toggle caption
Riley Bunch/GPB
“Governors have the greatest power that people rarely understand,” Abrams said in an interview. “But with the US Supreme Court stripping women of the right to vote because of the weakening of the Voting Rights Act, more and more decision-making power is shifting to the states.”
Still, one issue that could help decide tight races in Georgia and other states is largely out of the hands of governors — inflation. Kemp and other Republicans have linked the rising cost of everyday expenses like groceries and gas to Democrat control in Washington.
Abrams stands with protesters outside the closed Wellstar Atlanta Medical Center on November 1. Since 2018, Abrams has advocated full Medicaid expansion, arguing that it would have saved many of Georgia’s closing hospitals. “We’re just steps from MLK’s home, yet we’re watching this community lose health care in real time,” she said. Hide Riley Bunch/GPB subtitles
toggle caption
Riley Bunch/GPB
In front of a crowd of supporters in Marietta, Georgia, and flanked by US Senator Jon Ossoff, Abrams stressed her opponent’s abortion restrictions. After the Supreme Court ruled Roe v. Wade, Georgia’s strict abortion ban, enacted in 2019, went into effect. “When Brian Kemp tells you who he is, believe him,” she said Nov. 1. Riley Bunch/GPB hide the caption
toggle caption
Riley Bunch/GPB
While governors cannot reverse inflation on their own, both candidates have outlined ways the state can help ease voters’ economic pains. For example, Kemp has suspended the state gas tax for months. Abrams has doubled down on its promise to expand Medicaid.
In the closing stages of Election Day, the Georgia Democrats called high-profile proxies. Former President Barack Obama stumbled for Abrams and US Senator Raphael Warnock on Oct. 28 in College Park, Georgia. “There may be many questions at stake in this election,” he said. “But the fundamental question, the fundamental question that you should be asking yourself right now is: Who is going to fight for you?” Riley Bunch/GPB Hide subtitles
toggle caption
Riley Bunch/GPB
In recent months, Kemp has led Abrams by several points in most polls.
But as the two candidates lead Georgia’s midterm elections for the second time, they have set out very different visions for the state – on everything from economic development and the state budget to healthcare, elections and public safety – into one Time when Georgia’s demographics and politics are in flux.
The result of the gubernatorial election in Georgia will probably shape both the everyday life of voters and the development of their state.
Abrams and Warnock supporters dance in the bleachers at The Gateway Center in College Park, Georgia, before Obama’s October 28 remarks. Riley Bunch/GPB hide the caption
toggle caption
Riley Bunch/GPB
Abrams and Warnock greet their supporters at a rally in College Park, Georgia on October 28. “Because no matter where we live, we share a common belief: that Georgia can do more, be more, for all of us.” Riley Bunch/GPB Hide subtitles
toggle caption
Riley Bunch/GPB
