This morning I found myself in the very uncomfortable position of agreeing with Bryan Kemp, the Republican nominee for governor of Georgia, running to succeed himself. (So  far as I’m concerned, he didn’t succeed the first time.)

In his victory speech, Kemp was attempting to whip up “Team Kemp” for the November contest against Stacey Abrams. After patting them on the back, he declared that they would be fighting for “the soul of Georgia.” I had to agree, although I will be fighting on the other side.

The 2022 election will go far in determining what kind of state we are, who will prosper, and who will fall further behind. Will it be Kemp’s vision of big pickups, big guns, and the unfettered right to carry those guns pretty much anywhere politicians aren’t gathered without worrying about the hassle of a permit, or will it be better healthcare, some sane restrictions on gun ownership, and attention to the real problems of our state?

Keep in mind that it was the Republicans that brought you the Pastor Protection Act (designed to protect a group of people who didn’t need protecting), who jumped up and down and flapped their arms about CRT (which isn’t taught in public schools), puts limits on the discussion of race, and made it easier to prohibit books in public schools. Kemp was proud of all those.

Since the race is now underway, I think it’s a good time to begin pointing out the differences between Kemp and Abrams.

Healthcare: According to a ranking by 24/7 Wall Street, Georgia is saved from being dead last in terms of healthcare only by Texas.  Nearly 20% of our citizens are uninsured. We are fourth from the bottom in terms of hospital closures (as ranked by Forbes), and we’re are the worst in the country in terms of maternal mortality. According to Mental Health America, we are fourth from the bottom in mental health access. We also have one of the highest percentages of adults with mental illness and without health insurance.

Stacey Abrams’ solution is to expand Medicaid coverage. Studies have shown that Medicaid expansion essentially pays for itself, and it helps rural hospitals stay open. On the other hand, Kemp calls Medicaid expansion “radical,” despite the fact that the majority of states, including states with Republican governors and legislatures, have adopted it. He commissioned Deloitte at a cost of nearly $2 million to come up with a plan that would be Georgia’s very own. It looked very much like Medicaid expansion except it cost more and covered fewer people. It’s hard to say what he’ll propose this time since he has no platform on his campaign website.

Guns: In the last election, Stacey Abrams made several modest proposals regarding guns, making it easier for families to get restraining orders and preventing perpetrators of domestic violence from keeping firearms. Kemp, on the other hand, led the way to remove the need for a permit to carry a firearm.

Kemp will make a lot of statements about bringing industry to Georgia, and he probably deserves credit for that. He has also raised teachers’ salaries and cut taxes. (The teachers’ pay raise was certainly deserved since Georgia’s pay scale has been below the national average, and teachers’ pay actually decreased almost 4% between 2010 and 2020.) And he probably really likes his family.

However, to me, the question is not so much whether Kemp did some things that actually benefitted Georgia as it is whether what he proposes to do in the next four years is better for Georgia and its soul than what Stacey Abrams proposes to do.

Unlike Kemp, she’s very specific in terms of her vision for Georgia. You can read it all here: Policy | Stacey Abrams for Governor