ATLANTA • Competing economic agendas from Gov. Brian Kemp and his Democratic challenger, Stacey Abrams, crystallized this past week as the two rivals issued strikingly different visions of how to tap state coffers bulging with billions of dollars in surplus money.

In a highly publicized speech, Abrams demanded that Georgians not squander a “generational” opportunity to build a more equitable economy as she promoted more than a dozen economic proposals, headlined by a call to expand gambling.

The governor days later unveiled the first major policy promises of his reelection campaign, pledging to deploy the state’s financial windfall to refund Georgia taxpayers rather than embark on ambitious new government programs.

The Republican put it bluntly: “I don’t want to get any illusions that we’re doing something for the next decade. We’re trying to help Georgians fight through this tough time now.”

The dueling philosophies over how to use a surplus that’s expected to exceed $5 billion is yet another policy difference between candidates who have differed on pressing issues such as education, health care, abortion, guns and public safety.

But with the economy the top priority for most Georgia voters, the rival financial platforms are destined to win an even larger share of the political spotlight as a November rematch between the two adversaries nears.

Both are already sharpening their economic attacks, with Kemp blasting the Democrat’s vision as “absolutely insane” spending that will be impossible to sustain without raising taxes, while Abrams assails the incumbent’s “miserly” philosophy and short-term outlook as she tries to overtake his lead in the polls.

“We know with absolute certainty we can do this work without raising taxes,” Abrams said in an interview. “It’s not a short-term thing. You can use the surplus to embed these changes in our budget and make sure they are self-sustaining.”

Abrams is trying to channel anger and outrage over Georgia’s anti-abortion limits and permissive gun laws into a broader argument that Republican policies are costing Georgia economic development opportunities.

Along with her vows to roll back firearms expansions and restore abortion rights protections, Abrams designed her suite of fiscal policies in hopes of building a more equitable and diverse economy in the long run.

Her plan calls for more funding for apprenticeships and small-business startups, increased incentives for rural development, an expansion of broadband access and new ways to help minority-owned businesses land lucrative state contracts.

She has pledged to spend some of the surplus on a $1.1 billion income tax rebate for all but the wealthiest of Georgia families. And she’ll dip deeper into state coffers to expand Medicaid and provide pay raises for teachers and some law enforcement officers.