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PAGE 10A PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS THURSDAY. APRIL 28. 2022
Kemp, Perdue
trade blows in first
televised debate
of Republican
gubernatorial race
Gov. Brian Kemp (left) and former U.S. Sen. David Perdue
By Dave Williams
Bureau Chief
Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA - Gov. Brian
Kemp defended his record of
the last four years Sunday
night against withering at
tacks from former U.S. Sen.
David Perdue in the first tel
evised debate of this year's
Republican gubernatorial
campaign.
Perdue, who has former
President Donald Trump's
endorsement, accused Kemp
of failing to investigate alle
gations of voter fraud after
what he called a "rigged and
stolen" 2020 election in
Georgia. He blamed the gov
ernor not only for President
Joe Biden's victory but for
the loss of his Senate seat to
Democrat Jon Ossoff.
"He sold us out," Perdue
declared in the debate, which
aired on Atlanta's WSB-TV.
"The only reason I'm not
in the United States Senate is
you caved in," Perdue told
Kemp.
After responding that he
followed the law and the U.S.
Constitution following the
election, Kemp chastised
Perdue for focusing so much
attention on the last election
cycle. Instead, the governor
cited his accomplishments in
going after criminals, creat
ing jobs and reopening Geor
gia's economy during the
pandemic earlier than other
states.
"That is a record that will
beat [presumptive Demo
cratic gubernatorial nominee]
Stacey Abrams, not looking
in the rear-view mirror,"
Kemp said.
Both candidates supported
legislation the Republican-
controlled General Assembly
passed this year allowing
Georgians to carry concealed
firearms without a permit and
restricting how certain "divi
sive concepts" including
racism can be taught in the
schools.
But they clashed over the
state's strategy in luring elec
tric vehicle startup Rivian to
invest $5 billion in a truck
manufacturing plant east of
Atlanta that will create 7,500
jobs. Perdue criticized the
use of generous tax incen
tives to convince the com
pany to come to Georgia,
suggesting a better approach
to economic development
would be to eliminate the
state income tax.
"You're taking hundreds
of millions of taxpayer dol
lars in Georgia and giving
them to a company owned by
[billionaire and Democratic
mega donor George] Soros,"
Perdue said.
Kemp shot back that the
Rivian deal was part of a suc
cessful effort he has waged to
boost the economy of rural
Georgia. The governor ac
cused Perdue, on the other
hand, of sending American
jobs overseas during decades
as a corporate CEO.
"We're bringing in 7,500
great-paying jobs to rural
parts of our state," Kemp
said. "He's spent his whole
business career outsourcing
jobs to China."
Perdue criticized the gov
ernor for not taking a position
on a bill calling for a vote on
whether the Buckhead area
of Atlanta should break away
and form its own city, legis
lation that ultimately fizzled.
He tied the push for cityhood
to rising crime in Atlanta.
"These people have no
service up there," Perdue
said. "The only way they're
going to get there is to con
trol their own government."
Kemp said he decided to
keep his "powder dry" on the
issue.
"As much as you want me
to be a dictator, I'm not," the
governor told Perdue. "That's
something that is going to
have to go through the leg
islative process."
The two also clashed on
the issue of crime, with Per
due hammering away at sta
tistics illustrating the increase
in violent crime, particularly
in Atlanta, since the pan
demic began.
"What we have is a run
away crime situation the gov
ernor is burying his head
about," Perdue said.
Kemp responded by citing
the number of arrests made
by the multi-agency Crime
Suppression Unit he formed
in the spring of last year.
"We have taken stolen
weapons off the street," he
said. "We're going to con
tinue to do that."
Kemp and Perdue will
meet twice more on the air
waves before the May 24 pri
mary, later this week in
Savannah and Sunday night
on Georgia Public Television.
This story is available
through a news partnership with
Capitol Beat News Service, a
project of the Georgia Press Ed
ucational Foundation.
About electric vehicles
Drivers who aren't fond of
taking their vehicles in for
routine oil changes may want
to consider electric vehicles
the next time they're in the
market for a new car or truck.
According to Kia, electric ve
hicles, or EVs, do not require
oil. Oil is necessary to lubri
cate the various moving parts
in combustion engines.
While synthetic oil and
other advancements have in
creased the recommended oil
change intervals from the
once-standard 3,000 mile
recommendation, manufac
turers still advise drivers to
get oil changes around every
5,000 miles or every six
months, whichever comes
first. No such maintenance is
required with EVs because
they consume batteries while
running on electric motors.
EV drivers will have to mon
itor certain fluids, though.
Coolant is necessary to pre
vent batteries from overheat
ing, and that can be
periodically checked at driv
ers' discretion and during
routine maintenance per
formed at an auto body shop.
Drivers also can monitor
and refill windshield washer
fluid as necessary. Brake
fluid in EV cars also needs to
be replaced periodically, and
Kia notes that its EVs need
fresh brake fluid after run
ning about 25,000 miles.
NarcAnon
Narcotics Anonymous
meetings are held on Mon
days, Tuesdays and Fridays
at 8 p.m. at Jasper United
Methodist Church, 85
Church Street Jasper, Ga.
JASPER GEORGIA