ATLANTA - WEDNESDAY 5:00 p.m. UPDATE: WSB-TV has made a final offer to get all the candidates for governor together for the previously agreed upon debate.
We have offered to air a live, commercial-free debate Monday at 7:30 p.m. We’ve asked both campaigns to respond by 7 p.m. tonight.
The final debate in Georgia's hotly contested governor's race that was scheduled to feature all three candidates -- Brian Kemp, Stacey Abrams and Ted Metz -- is now in doubt.
Sunday at 5 p.m. was an agreed upon date and time from all three campaigns. However, within the past 24 hours, Kemp’s campaign informed us they are unable to make that date and time work.
Kemp is attending a rally with President Donald Trump in Macon. Trump's rally is scheduled for 4 p.m., about 100 miles south of Atlanta.
"Our No. 1 concern is giving Georgia voters what was promised, and that is a debate with all the candidates," Channel 2 News Director Misti Turnbull said. "As in past major elections, we work to bring the candidates together in a debate forum so the viewers and their constituents can hear each candidate's responses to pressing questions."
We are continuing to work toward alternatives, but at this point, the campaigns have not agreed on an alternative time.
“If the candidates can come to an agreement, we will honor our commitment," Turnbull said.
Stacey Abrams' campaign manager, Lauren Groh-Wargo, sent Channel 2 Action News the following statement:
“Brian Kemp says he wants to be our next governor, but he’s breaking his promise to show up for the job interview. This isn’t a surprise since his entire career has been defined by his failure to keep his commitments. Whether defaulting on a half a million dollar loan he personally guaranteed, abandoning his responsibilities as Secretary of State to campaign on the taxpayer’s dime, or kicking thousands of pregnant women off Medicaid, Kemp has proved he can’t be trusted to show up for Georgians. Unlike Brian Kemp, Leader Abrams is proud of her record and happy to explain her plans to the people of Georgia – that’s why she’ll be answering questions from Georgians about her plans to invest in excellent public education, create good-paying jobs, and expand access to quality affordable health care.”
Brian Kemp's campaign manager, Ryan Mahoney, sent Channel 2 Action News the following statement:
“We offered multiple days, times, and venues to debate. Unfortunately, Stacey Abrams cancelled the WSB-TV debate. Abrams is ducking Georgia voters because she can't defend her extreme, radical agenda on live television.”
After Channel 2 Political Reporter Richard Elliot's report on Channel 2 Action News at 4 p.m., the Abrams campaign sent us a second statement:
“It is both unacceptable and unsurprising that Brian Kemp is yet again blaming his failures on someone else and not keeping his promises. This has been a pattern of behavior for him for as long as voters have known him. His list of failures is long and growing, including overseeing massive data breaches that exposed millions of Georgians’ Social Security numbers, defaulting on a half a million-dollar loan he personally guaranteed, and now he is now backing out of his commitment to answer Georgia voters questions’ about the issues they care about most. Georgia voters are ready for authentic, honest leadership, which is why they’re early voting in record numbers for Stacey Abrams.”
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