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SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — The candidates running to become Georgia's next governor are clashing over whether the state should pass a law offering protection for citizens acting on religious belief.
Democrat Stacey Abrams and Republican Brian Kemp were both asked whether they would sign a so-called "religious freedom" law during separate appearances Friday before an economic development conference in Savannah. Laws passed in other states caused a backlash from business leaders who fear they legalize discrimination.
Abrams said such a law would cost Georgia jobs, particularly in TV and movie production, and that "even the mere conversation is now toxic."
Kemp said he supports a state law that mirrors a 1993 federal measure signed by President Bill Clinton that Kemp insisted "doesn't discriminate." He said he would accept "nothing more, nothing less."
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