State Sen. Jason Carter (D), Andrew Hunt (L) and incumbent Gov. Nathan Deal (R) shared the stage Sunday night during the second gubernatorial debate, hosted by the Atlanta Press Club and Georgia Public Broadcasting. The candidates sparred mainly over unemployment, education and ethics, but gun rights, responses to Ebola and healthcare also fueled conversation between the three hopefuls in the Nov. 4 election.
11 Alive’s Brenda Wood moderated the debate, and Jim Galloway (Atlanta Journal-Constitution), Christopher King (CBS46) and Sandra Parrish (WSB) sat on the questioning panel.
The debate began with a question for Deal about Ebola, and the task force he had announced earlier that day to protect and prepare the state to handle the virus.
A little later, Carter questioned Hunt about what he thought about Deal’s recent comments that applying water could kill the Ebola virus. Hunt denounced the comments as a sign of not only poor understanding, but also poor leadership.
Deal responded that Brenda Fitzgerald, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Health, misinformed him that water could kill the Ebola virus. With no official rebuttal granted, Hunt jumped in.
“Will you retract the statement?” he asked.
Wood cut Hunt short with a stern, “That is enough.”
When questioned about the economy, Deal said his administration had made gains, citing Georgia’s sixth-place national ranking in job creation last year by the Georgia Department of Labor. He also touted that multiple news outlets ranked Georgia as the best state state in which to do business.
“Family income, household income has increased since I’ve become governor,” Deal said. “… We are seeing our state grow.”
While Deal cited statistics that glorified Georgia’s economy, Carter and Hunt repeatedly pointed out that Georgia had the country’s highest rate of unemployment, 8.1 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ August report.
The two challengers pointed to a failing public education system as one cause for the economic malaise. Carter blamed underfunding of public schools, high college tuition and cuts to the HOPE Scholarship, whereas Hunt lamented the paucity of funds allotted to charter schools in the most recent budget.
“We have to begin with education as a foundation,” Carter said. “… Our state has everything it needs to be a powerhouse.”
Deal told Carter, “If you really do support public education, you should have voted for the largest increase in K through 12 funding in seven years, this year’s budget, which you voted against.”
Carter said he voted against the budget because it still underfunded education by $750 million.
“No one in this state believes that we are properly funding for education,” Carter said. “I don’t even think Gov. Deal thinks that.”
The candidates held similar stances when it came to gun laws and the use of medical marijuana. All three supported the Second Amendment and choice when it came to guns in churches, and the growing need for medical marijuana.
“I will be a strong proponent of medical cannabis,” Hunt said.
Each also expressed support for a proposed law to heighten punishments against adults who convince college athletes to violate their contracts due to the recent suspension of University of Georgia’s running back Todd Gurley.
When it came to same-sex marriage, however, the men were more vague, all voicing their respect for either the courts, the state constitution or the federal constitution.
The candidates’ opinions on the Affordable Care Act differed drastically. While Deal refused the Medicaid expansion financed mostly by the federal government, Carter argued that Georgians, having paid federal taxes, are entitled to the Medicaid expansion.
“Right now the federal government has $36 billion of our money, and the governor has fought for the federal government to keep that money,” Carter said.
Deal insisted the state has spent too much on health care, money that “could’ve [been] put in things like education.” Hunt said he believes that Georgia can do better than ObamaCare and advocated for a free enterprise system.
“Do I agree with Obamacare?” Hunt asked. “No. Do I want states’ rights and the 10th Amendment to be the rule? Yes.”
Carter and Deal tied in three consecutive polls taken between Oct. 7 and 14, with Hunt polling between 4 and 6 percent. The clear contrasts the two frontrunners have established in these debates promise to make the Nov. 4 election even more of a nail-biter.
Additional reporting from Keegan Hasson and Harrison Wilco. Click here to read The Southerner’s real-time blog of the debate.
