GOP nominee ditches debate to go to Trump rally, then blames opponent

Georgia Republican nominee for governor Brian Kemp is a liar. Or, as many folks in Georgia might say on a Sunday morning, he has borne false witness against his neighbor, Democratic nominee Stacey Abrams.

The two candidates, locked in a tight race to be Georgia’s next governor, agreed more than six weeks ago to a Nov. 4 debate on live television.

Just a few days before the debate, Kemp suddenly pulled out, refusing to stand next to Abrams and discuss the issues.

His reason? Rather than talk to the people of Georgia, Kemp wants to stand next to Trump, who is coming to Georgia for a rally at the same time.

The Abrams campaign called Kemp to task for breaking his word.

“Brian Kemp says he wants to be our next governor, but he’s breaking his promise to show up for the job interview,” the campaign said in a statement to WSB-TV, the station that was scheduled to host the debate. “Kemp has proved he can’t be trusted to show up for Georgians.”

It could have ended there, but then the Kemp campaign decided to lie to Georgia voters.

After pulling out of the debate, the Kemp campaign issued an Orwellian statement falsely claiming Abrams was at fault.

“Unfortunately, Stacey Abrams cancelled the WSB-TV debate. Abrams is ducking Georgia voters because she can’t defend her extreme, radical agenda on live television.”

That’s a flat-out lie. Like his political idol Trump, Kemp has abandoned all efforts to speak the truth to voters, opting instead to tell easily disproved lies.

“The debate was originally scheduled and agreed to by all three candidates six weeks ago,” says a statement from WSB-TV. “Kemp pulled out Tuesday in order to attend President Trump’s rally in Macon at the same time.”

Abrams campaign shot back at the lies from Kemp’s team in a statement to WSB-TV.

“It is both unacceptable and unsurprising that Brian Kemp is yet again blaming his failures on someone else and not keeping his promises” her campaign said. “This has been a pattern of behavior for him for as long as voters have known him.”

WSB-TV sought to reschedule the debate for Monday evening, but Abrams had already made a commitment to be in another part of the state.

“We believe it would be irresponsible to break our commitment to accommodate his failures,” the campaign said. “Just because Brian Kemp breaks his promises doesn’t mean anyone else should.”

Kemp gained national notoriety for his racist efforts to suppress black voters in Georgia. Kemp, Secretary of State and a white man, has engaged in a massive voter purge and other suppression efforts primarily impacting minority voters while locked in a tight race with Abrams, a woman who could become the first black female governor of Georgia.

When given the choice between facing a moderator and answering questions important to Georgians, Kemp bailed to attend one of Trump’s hate-filled rallies.

Seems pretty clear where his priorities lie.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.