美联社
佐治亚州州长共和党候选人，前参议员大卫·珀杜在一个..
亚特兰大-竞选佐治亚州州长的前两名共和党人周日启动了三场辩论中的第一场，争论谁应该为2020年和2021年的共和党负责选举前美国参议员大卫·珀杜抨击现任州长布莱恩·肯普应该为民主党在华盛顿州的控制负责，而肯普回击说，濮培德试图将自己的失败归咎于民主党人乔恩·奥索夫。
濮培德继续展示对被揭穿的民主党欺诈性赢得2020年总统大选的支持选举以及2021年美国参议院在佐治亚州的决胜选举。
“2020年的选举被操纵和窃取，”濮培德在WSB电视台主办的一场辩论中说。“我们今天看到的所有疯狂...这一切都是从佐治亚州开始的，当时我们的州长屈服了，让激进的民主党人偷走了我们的选举。”
坎普说，他遵守了法律，濮培德对选民撒谎，他声称坎普允许就如何验证缺席选票上的签名达成和解协议，国务卿和州选举委员会对调查选举不法行为负有主要责任。
“我当了八年国务卿，”坎普说，“我不需要一个在上次选举中失败的人来说教我们的投票法是什么，以及谁对我们州的那些人负责。”
肯普不是和解协议的一方，但濮培德声称肯普应该召开特别会议，要求立法者推翻它。他还说，坎普应该做更多的调查欺诈索赔，说坎普是佐治亚州的“顶级警察”。
肯普被州法律要求证明结果，并一再表示，任何其他课程将邀请无休止的诉讼。联邦和州选举官员以及唐纳德·特朗普自己的司法部长表示，没有可信的证据表明选举受到了污染。这位前总统的欺诈指控也遭到法院的全面拒绝，包括特朗普任命的法官。
“你有一个候选人将攻击我的记录，不幸的是，今晚整晚，因为他们没有在2020年击败乔恩·奥索夫的记录，”坎普说。
随着5月24日初选投票的临近，辩论开始了。各县可以从周一开始邮寄缺席选票，提前亲自投票从5月2日开始。坎普和濮培德定于周四在萨凡纳会面，5月1日在亚特兰大会面。
除了坎普和濮培德，初选还包括共和党人凯瑟琳·戴维斯、坎迪斯·泰勒和汤姆·威廉姆斯，他们被排除在周日的辩论之外。如果需要的话，决胜选举将在6月21日举行。
面对民调显示普遍认为特朗普没有公平输掉的共和党初选选民，坎普没有说他认为2020年和2021年的选举是公平的，也没有说他认为没有欺诈。
“看，我和其他人一样沮丧，”肯普说。“这就是为什么我们通过了全国最强的选举诚信法案，因为很多事情都是别人做的。”
濮培德得到了特朗普的支持，特朗普一直专注于击败坎普。但是坎普在寻求第二个任期时，在筹款和民意调查中保持领先。这种态势在辩论中得到了体现，濮培德发起进攻，而坎普则时而防守，时而不屑一顾。
现任总统试图强调他的政绩，包括提高教师和国家雇员的工资，减税，并在佐治亚州短暂的新冠肺炎封锁后迅速解除限制。坎普说，这是击败民主党人斯泰西·艾布拉姆斯的一个更好的方法，而不是对过去的选举进行无休止的诉讼。
“这是一个将在11月击败斯泰西·艾布拉姆斯的记录，而不是看后视镜，”坎普说。
然而，濮培德辩称，只有他才能赢得川普铁杆支持者的选票，击败艾布拉姆斯。
“他分裂了我们，”濮培德谈到坎普时说。“他将无法击败斯泰西·艾布拉姆斯。如果我们想保护我们的自由和价值观，我们必须投票，我们必须确保斯泰西永远不会成为我们的州长。”
当被问及他是否支持富裕的、大部分是白人的Buckhead社区从更贫穷、更黑暗的亚特兰大市分离出来时，Kemp一再回避。由于商业团体、一些共和党议员和亚特兰大市领导人的反对，这一努力今年在州议会夭折了。坎普说，相反，他专注于减少亚特兰大的犯罪。
“我认为争论需要继续，”坎普说，“我将继续保持我的火药干燥。让这个运动前进或者不前进。这是立法机构将要做出的决定。”
濮培德说，这是坎普作为“软弱”州长的一个例子，他支持巴克黑德退出亚特兰大。
“他们试图保护自己，”濮培德说，他支持让巴克海德分裂。“唯一的办法就是控制他们自己的政府。保持火药干燥?人们现在正在那里被杀害。”
濮培德还指责坎普没有采取更多措施在该国非法逮捕人，并指出在2018年的一则广告中，坎普承诺围捕“非法罪犯”，并在必要时用他的“大卡车”运送他们。
“发生了什么事，州长?皮卡坏了?”濮培德问道。
坎普为自己的记录辩护，指出他曾在墨西哥边境附近派驻格鲁吉亚国民警卫队成员。但是他说，在新冠肺炎疫情的高峰期，增加监狱人口是一个坏主意。
“我不知道当我们的执法部门向医院运送呼吸机和个人防护设备时，去接可能患有COVID的人会是一个好策略，”坎普说。
Georgia's Kemp and Perdue clash over elections in debate
ATLANTA -- The top two Republicans running for governor in Georgia launched the first of three debates Sunday by bickering over who was responsible for 2020 and 2021 Republicanelectionlosses, with former U.S. Sen. David Perdue pressing his attack that incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp is to blame for Democratic control in Washington, while Kemp fired back that Perdue was trying to pass the blame for his own loss to Democrat Jon Ossoff.
Perdue continued to showcase support for debunked claims that Democrats fraudulently won the 2020 presidentialelectionand the 2021 U.S. Senate runoffs in Georgia.
“The election in 2020 was rigged and stolen," Perdue said during a debate sponsored by Atlanta's WSB-TV. "All the madness we see today ... all that started right here in Georgia when our governor caved and allowed out radical Democrats to steal our elections.”
Kemp said he followed the law, that Perdue was lying to voters about his claim that Kemp permitted a settlement agreement over how signatures on absentee ballots were verified, and that the secretary of state and State Election Board have primary responsibility for investigating election wrongdoing.
“I was Secretary of State for eight years," Kemp said, “and I don't need to be lectured by someone that lost their last election about what our voting laws are and who has responsibilities for those in our state.”
Kemp was not a party to the settlement agreement, but Perdue claims Kemp should have called a special session and asked lawmakers to reverse it. He also says Kemp should have done more to investigate fraud claims, saying Kemp is the “top cop” in Georgia.
Kemp was required by state law to certify the results and has repeatedly said any other course would have invited endless litigation. Federal and state election officials and Donald Trump’s own attorney general have said there is no credible evidence the election was tainted. The former president’s allegations of fraud were also roundly rejected by courts, including by judges Trump appointed.
“You have a candidate that is going to attack my record, unfortunately, all night tonight, because they didn’t have a record there to beat Jon Ossoff in 2020,” Kemp said.
The debates come as voting nears in for the May 24 primary. Counties can begin mailing absentee ballots Monday and early in-person voting begins May 2. Kemp and Perdue are scheduled to meet Thursday in Savannah and May 1 in Atlanta.
Besides Kemp and Perdue, the primary includes Republicans Catherine Davis, Kandiss Taylor and Tom Williams, who were excluded from Sunday's debate. A runoff would be held June 21 if needed.
Kemp, facing a Republican primary electorate that polls show widely believes that Trump did not lose fairly, didn't say he thought the 2020 and 2021 elections were fair, and didn't say he thought there was no fraud.
“Look, I was as frustrated as anybody else,” Kemp said. “That’s why we passed the strongest election integrity act in the country, because a lot of things were done by other people.”
Perdue is endorsed by Trump, who has been focused on defeating Kemp. But Kemp has maintained a lead in fundraising and in the polls as he seeks a second term. That dynamic played out in the debate, with Perdue attacking and Kemp by turns defensive and dismissive.
The incumbent sought to highlight his record, including raising teacher and state employee pay, cutting taxes and quickly lifting restrictions after Georgia’s brief COVID-19 lockdown. Kemp said that's a better way to defeat Democrat Stacey Abrams than endless litigation of past elections.
“That is a record that will beat Stacey Abrams in November, not looking in the rearview mirror,” Kemp said.
Perdue, though, argues only he can win votes from Trump diehards to beat Abrams.
"He has divided us," Perdue said of Kemp. “He will not be able to beat Stacey Abrams. And if we want to protect our freedom and our values, we have to vote and we have to make sure that Stacey is never our governor.”
Kemp repeatedly deflected when asked if he supports the affluent, mostly white Buckhead neighborhood seceding from the poorer, Blacker city of Atlanta. That effort died in the state legislature this year amid opposition from business groups, some Republican lawmakers and Atlanta city leaders. Kemp said instead he was focused on reducing crime in Atlanta.
"I think the debate needs to continue," Kemp said “I’m going to continue to keep my powder dry. Let this movement come forward or not. That’s a decision that the legislature is going to make.”
Perdue said that was an example of Kemp being a “weak” governor, supporting Buckhead's exit from Atlanta.
“They’re trying to protect themselves,” Perdue said of his support for letting Buckhead split off. “And the only way to do that is to get control of their own government. Keep your powder dry? People are getting killed up there right now.”
Perdue also rapped Kemp for not doing more to arrest people in the country illegally, noting a 2018 ad where Kemp pledged to round up “criminal illegals” and transport them in his “big truck,” if needed.
“What happened, governor? Pickup break down?” Perdue asked.
Kemp defended his record, noting he has stationed Georgia National Guard members near the Mexican border. But he said said adding to the jail population would have been a bad idea at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I don’t know how going around picking up people that might have COVID when our law enforcement was sending ventilators and PPE supplies to hospitals would have been a good strategy,” Kemp said.
