'Deranged simpleton': Georgia Libertarian gubernatorial candidate slammed during debate

Libertarian candidate Shane Hazel was expected to draw protest votes from Republican supporters of former President Donald Trump who hate Gov. Brian Kemp. But after the Monday debate, Hazel may have run off some voters.

Those watching the debate couldn't help but notice that Hazel was constantly interrupting both Kemp and Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams when they were trying to have a legitimate conversation about education policy.

One person said simply, "I can't," and asked that he simply get off her TV after Hazel proclaimed, “Libertarians don’t have any gun laws.”

Another argued that Hazel didn't belong on the stage.

Attacks such as "deranged simpleton," to a "Republican disguised as a Libertarian" that is "wasting our time."

Patricia Murphy at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution called Hazel "belligerent" and "disrespectful of Stacey Abrams" and "frequently hijacked an otherwise substantive debate between two rivals who probably made their own supporters very proud."

NBC News reporter Blayne Alexander said that the Atlanta Press Club allows any candidate to participate in the debate without meeting any threshold for polling

See more from GPB's Stephen Fowler below:

\u201cThis screengrab encapsulates the last several minutes of the debate, where Libertarian Shane Hazel constantly interrupted Abrams/Kemp while the two traded barbs over education plans.\u201d

— stephen fowler (@stephen fowler) 1666047930