What to watch in tonight’s final Kemp-Abrams gubernatorial debate

HEAD-TO-HEAD. Unlike the Atlanta Press Club debate earlier this month, this showdown won’t include Libertarian Shane Hazel, the third-party candidate who repeatedly interrupted with rants about the Prussian education system and Austrian economic philosophy. Ahead in the polls, Kemp probably didn’t mind the distraction, but Abrams will look to maximize the one-on-one structure.

REV UP THE BASE. With one more week of early voting, Abrams wants to energize her party’s base as leaders worry about apathy. Former President Barack Obama rallied Georgia Democrats on Friday not to lose hope, and Abrams has targeted some of her party’s most faithful voters in the closing days of the campaign with promises of “generational” change.

HUNKER DOWN. Just like the last debate, Kemp’s main goal is avoid making waves that give Democrats a viral moment. He’s likely to push the same narrative he’s used since 2018 that frames Abrams as a celebrity candidate fueled by out-of-state donors whose views are out-of-touch with Georgians. And he may make specific appeals to Black voters and suburbanites to put Abrams further on the defensive.

ABORTION VS. ECONOMY. Don’t be surprised if Abrams sharpens her criticism of Kemp-backed abortion restrictions that polls show most Georgians oppose. And don’t be surprised if Kemp tries to pivot the back-and-forth to the economy every chance he gets to trumpet his record and assail “Abrams-Biden” inflation. At the last debate, Kemp said he wouldn’t support new abortion restrictions in a second term, while Abrams said she’d find ways to work with a Republican-controlled Legislature to repeal what’s in the books.

SURPRISES. While Kemp wants to stay the course, he could throw some curveballs by attacking the Fair Fight Action group that Abrams founded. Recent reports have cast more scrutiny on the organization, including a Politico investigation that shows it steered more than $9 million in legal fees to one of her top allies. Abrams has recently stepped up efforts to link Kemp to questionable practices involving China, including a new pledge this past week to close what she called a critical security loophole.