The leading contenders for the Georgia governor Republican nomination wasted no time throwing barbs at one another Sunday night.

In the debate hosted by WSB-TV and heard on WSB Radio, former U.S. Sen. David Perdue got things going right out of the gate, calling the 2020 presidential election “rigged and stolen.” To date, no evidence has been presented to back those claims – championed by former President Donald Trump.

Perdue then delivered a blistering statement at incumbent Governor Brian Kemp, saying “the only reason I’m not in the United States Senate is because you caved in and gave the elections to Stacey (Abrams) and the liberal Democrats in 2020.”

Kemp quickly fired back to say Perdue was looking for a scapegoat for his own loss in the January 2021 Senate runoff to Democrat Jon Ossoff. Kemp’s response: “Weak leaders blame everybody else for their own loss instead of themselves.”

There was much more between the two as the debate unfolded, including on the topic of what Perdue said was voter fraud.

Perdue: “You’re the top cop in this state. It’s your responsibility to make sure we investigate voter fraud.” From Kemp: “I was secretary of state for eight years and I don’t need to be lectured by someone who’s lost his last election about what the voting laws are in our state.

Recent polling has Kemp in the lead over Perdue for the Republican nomination for governor.

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