Past and present Governor candidates from Georgia: on Jobs

Brian Kemp: 4-Point Plan to put hardworking Georgians to work

[Twitter posting links to TV campaign ad outlining 4-point plan and emphasizing respect for the Second Amendment]

Stacey Abrams: For living wage and right to form unions

Stacey Abrams: For living wage and right to form unions

Casey Cagle: Create 500,000 jobs in first term, to beat Deal's 319,000

Cagle said he would quickly appoint an economic development liaison to work with businesses to streamline permitting, and he said he'd hit the road to recruit companies around the nation and the globe with an emphasis on targeting high-tech firms. "We've been successful in being the Hollywood of the South," he said, "but now we will be the Silicon Valley of the South."

His 500,000 job creation goal is lofty: Deal put economic development at the center of his campaign, and he said he created more than 319,000 private-sector jobs in his first term.

Nathan Deal: Economists don't pay attention to unemployment rates

The bitter back-and-forth played out against months of campaign rhetoric focusing on education and the economy, the two dominant themes of this election. Deal touts more than 300,000 jobs created on his watch and an education budget this year that includes more than $300 million in new K-12 money. Carter said the state is drowning in wasted potential that he can unlock with a pledge to boost classroom funding.

Andrew Hunt: Job Powerhouse plan instead of crony capitalism

There should be no special awards to only a few companies. Deal helped create a fund with which he can direct special benefits to a small number of selected companies. This is the ultimate example of crony capitalism. There needs to be as few regulations as possible so that we can have a true free enterprise system. Let the open market place, not the government, decide on the winners and losers. There will be so many more winners and more jobs.

Andrew Hunt: Reduce payroll tax when paying over $11/hour

Jason Carter: Employers need skilled workers: more technical schools

A: The most important thing we can do in Georgia with respect to having a healthy economy is to ensure that our education system is viable and is educating people to have the skills they need. The biggest anchor we have on economic growth, right now, is our education system. The Governor's policies with respect to technical schools, higher education, K through 12, have all undermined our ability to grow toward the future. The other piece that is important to me is technical schools. We have lost 45,000 students in our technical schools because of the Governor's policies. That is an economic disaster waiting to happen. We've got employers that need folks with skills and we've got people who want to move up in the world and need those skills and they are not able to go to technical schools, and that's not good for anybody.