Kemp, Abrams argue abortion, voting in final Georgia governor debate
Former Gov. Roy Barnes sits between U.S. Rep. Karen Handel, a Republican, and Gov. Nathan Deal, a Democrat, during the debate at the Georgia Theater in Atlanta, August 1, 2018. | Jim Fann | AP
HIGH-SPEED SHOTS OF MULTI-MILLION-DOLLAR BID TO DRIVE OUT OF BUSINESS
The biggest winners in Georgia’s August 1 gubernatorial election are now starting to arrive.
The top five candidates are:
• Roy Barnes, a former Republican governor who is now running as an independent.
• David Perdue, a Republican who is running for governor as an independent.
• Brian Kemp, the Georgia secretary of state, who is running as an independent.
• Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who is running as an independent.
• Mary Margaret McCall, a Democrat who is running for governor as an independent.
Those are the top five candidates, according to the most recent poll in the race. The final vote count will be tallied in a day or so.
The race has attracted significant television coverage, including a debate this week at the Georgia Theatre. The debate was scheduled before Election Day but was postponed after a Georgia law took effect that required candidates for governor to gain at least 3 percent support to appear on the ballot.
The debate was the second highest-rated debate in terms of Nielsen ratings for a gubernatorial race — just behind an election night debate between Republican nominee Brian Kemp and his Democrat opponent, Stacey Abrams, in a U.S. Senate race in Georgia in November.
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The governor’s race has attracted more attention for its role in the race for U.S. Senate, which went a couple days after the August 1 voting. It is considered by many to be one of the nation’s marquee races.
Voter turnout on election night in the governor’s race was more than 10 points lower than turnout in the previous gubernatorial election in 2018.
Georgia’s top election official, Secretary of State Kurt Wright, and his top aide, James Smith,