Crime has been a major problem in many midterm games across the country, and it quickly became a flashpoint among governors. Brian Kemp and his Democratic opponent Stacey Abrams in Sunday’s gubernatorial debate.
When the host pointed out that Atlanta was experiencing record violent crime, Kemp insisted he was leading the way in tackling the problem — identifying street gangs and cartels as a problem before anyone else noticed.
But he quickly turned to criticism that Abrams was an ally of progressive groups that tried to “defund” police after George Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis police officer in 2020.
“We’re not a local police department,” Kemp said. “I’m not the mayor. I’m the governor.”
“Go check the records, because Ms. Abrams of CNN was asked a question, would she defund the police? She said, yes, we have to reallocate resources. That means defunding the police,” Kan Pu said.
But Abrams said Kemp lied about her record. She noted that violent crime and gun violence had risen in Georgia under his leadership.
“Guns are the number one killer of our children. We have the ninth highest rate of gun violence in the nation. Domestic gun violence has increased 18 percent under this governor, who responded by weakening Georgia’s gun laws,” she says.
Abrams added that Kemp was misrepresenting her record on police funding.
“I believe in public safety. I didn’t say, and I don’t believe, to defund the police,” she said. “He’s lying again. And I never said that. I believe in funding the police. I believe in public safety and accountability.”
Abrams is proposing $25 million in state grants to local agencies to increase salaries for law enforcement officers.
In June, Kemp joined Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens at a ribbon-cutting ceremony at a new police station in Buckhead, Atlanta’s affluent neighborhood.
Kemp at the time touted state and local law enforcement working together to combat crime in Atlanta.
“Public safety knows no political boundaries,” Kemp said. “Whether you’re a Republican, you’re a Democrat, or you don’t care. You want your neighborhoods to be safe, you want your streets to be safe, that’s what today’s all about: Delivering First. 1 Government’s The duty is to protect its citizens.”