Democrat Stacey Abrams faced off Tuesday night against Georgia's Republican Secretary of State Brian Kemp in the final gubernatorial debate, which revealed divisions on immigration and voting rights, but some commonality when it comes to the amount of personal debt each candidate carries.

Abrams, the former minority leader of the state’s House of Representatives who could become the nation's first black, woman governor, also used the debate to defend a flag-burning protest she participated in more than a quarter-century ago.

Here are five takeaways from the debate:

1. Abrams defends flag-burning incident

A New York Times story Monday revealed that Abrams once participated in the burning of Georgia’s flag on the steps of the state capitol in 1992. She told moderators who asked her to explain her actions that she was disturbed by the emblem of the Confederacy that was part of the flag at that time.

“I took an action of peaceful protest,” Abrams said. “I said [the Confederate emblem] was wrong and my opponent Brian Kemp voted to remove that symbol.”

2. Financial baggage

Abrams owes the IRS more than $50,000 and is more than $200,000 in debt.

Kemp has been sued for failing to repay a $500,000 loan.

Each has accused the other of poor financial management.

“If you can’t manage your own finances and manage your creditors, how can you be trusted to handle the state budget?” Kemp said.

Abrams said she ran into financial troubles when she became the primary caretaker of her parents and used the money to pay for her father’s cancer treatment. She’s on a payment plan with the IRS.

“I know you can defer your taxes but you can’t defer cancer treatment for your father,” Abrams said.

3. Voting rights

Abrams accused Kemp, in his role overseeing the state’s voter registration system, of making it harder for people to register to vote by using a system aimed at ensuring voters are legally registered.

“They’ve been purged, they’ve been suppressed, and they’ve been scared,” Abrams charged.

Kemp said he’s ensuring no one is illegally voting and that most of the voter registrations he is questioning have Social Security numbers that don’t match or have implausible names, such as "Jesus" who lives on "Heaven Street."

Kemp defended his efforts to register voters and said he created an online system that has led to record voter turnout.

“No one has made it easier to vote and harder to cheat in our state,” Kemp said.

4. Splits over Medicaid expansion and Dreamers

Abrams said her first priority upon taking office would be to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act.

Republican governors have refused to expand the program to low-income, childless adults, but Abrams said doing so would allow the state to tap into $3 billion in federal funds that would help rural Georgia where hospitals are closing and healthcare is limited.

She also backs allowing students who came to the U.S. illegally as children to get in-state college tuition and state scholarships.

“These are people who were brought here not of their own volition,” Abrams said. “I stand by believing every Georgian who graduates from our high schools should have an opportunity to attend college.”

Kemp does not back expanding Medicaid and said Abrams supports a "Medicare for All" policy that would strip Georgians from their current healthcare and place them into a government program.

Kemp opposes in-state tuition or other education benefits for so-called "Dreamers."

“I’ve been running my whole campaign on putting Georgians first, and I think we need to continue doing that.”

5. Marijuana and the libertarian candidate

Libertarian candidate Ted Metz, who was also included in the debate, wants to legalize marijuana and promote industrial hemp as a cash crop. Metz said industrial hemp farming would help make rural Georgia prosperous.

“It’s a first step to show rural farms in Georgia we care about them,” Metz said.

Metz is polling at about 2 percent. He urged Georgians to chose him “as a protest vote to show them you are sick and tired of the same old stuff.”