Atlanta News First and Gray Media hosted a live debate between Georgia gubernatorial candidates Rick Jackson and Keisha Lance Bottoms on Tuesday night. It lasted about an hour and was town-hall style with multiple questions asked by voters yet to make a decision.
After watching the debate in full, our reporters felt Bottoms outperformed Jackson with answers that were often punchier, more detailed, and more directly answered the questions. Jackson also had some puzzling moments, like when he mentioned his plumber who drives a Mercedes, which has already received a lot of attention on social media.
Here were some of the big topics voters asked about and how the candidates
responded:
Cost of Living
A recent college graduate expressed concern about affording basic essentials like homes and healthcare, and asked for concrete steps the candidates would take to lower the cost of living.
Bottoms discussed a handful of tactics like cracking down on corporate landlords, expanding Medicaid, and providing low-interest loans. Jackson largely bashed Bottoms and how high inflation was during her time as mayor of Atlanta.
Similarly, a single parent from Cobb County asked about improving the living wage, given the federal minimum wage is just $7.25 [and in Georgia it's actually $5.15, although in most cases, the federal minimum wage applies].
Jackson said his focus would be on creating jobs that pay higher wages, boosting workforce development and promoting technical education. Bottoms said she wants to see the minimum wage raised to $15, work with unions on training, and to create a pathway for free technical and community college education.
Healthcare
Two different residents asked questions about healthcare costs in some form. Jackson had a lot to say, mentioning expanding Medicaid, new technologies so patients have a better understanding of their healthcare and the costs involved before paying them, and negotiating with PhRMA.
Jackson went on to say he would be "insurance companies' biggest nightmare," not allowing them to deny necessary coverage and restricting those companies if necessary.
Bottoms reiterated her commitment to expanding Medicaid and voiced opposition to health insurance companies that repeatedly deny coverage, especially those that use AI to make decisions. She said, if that's the case, patients should be informed AI was used and have the right to appeal those decisions.
AI
Data centers and artificial intelligence were further discussed. Jackson committed to not approving new data centers without community approval, strict environmental standards, and a guarantee that community members receive lower power bills and property taxes.
Bottoms has consistently called for a pause on data centers' construction, and did so again during the debate. She said "We need experts in this field to sit around the table and....give us guidance as to how the state of Georgia should move forward."
Flock cameras
Another technology of concern were flock cameras following multiple reports of misuse by authorities and heightened concern around 24/7 surveillance. This was the subject of two different residents' questions.
Bottoms said she would support a moratorium on new flock cameras being installed. She acknowledged there are some areas where this tech can be helpful, but the policies need to be updated. She said the penalties for misuse need to be severe, and that the use of this technology should be carefully restricted.
Jackson spoke along the same lines, saying flock cameras do need strict policies, but they provide some "very good" outcomes. He also said he would not support any kind of moratorium on the cameras, claiming "there's 15 people at Georgia Tech that can solve this in one week."
Mental health
There were a few different questions that brought up mental health.
Regarding safety and law enforcement: Bottoms wants to make Georgians more aware of services like the 988 system, to ensure that jails/prisons are equipped with trained staff, and to ensure those who need it receive continuous treatment and are assigned a caseworker. Jackson didn't give a lot of detail on this part, but implied Bottoms put criminals first as mayor, which she thoroughly rejected.
Election integrity
A poll manager from Cobb County explained how he's worried about the divisiveness around the actual election process and whether or not Georgia's elections are safe and fair.
Bottoms attacked President Donald Trump's ongoing rhetoric in this area and his administration's raid of an election office in Fulton County. She promoted the John Lewis Voting Rights Act to expand the time voters are given to cast their ballots and expand the forms of identification that may be used.
Jackson defended Georgia's last two elections and praised the Election Integrity Act of 2021. He went on to say that, despite this, he believes in "continuing quality improvement" in ensuring elections are as safe and secure as possible.
Watch the Georgia governor debate
You can watch the full debate for yourself below:
Georgia governor race polls
Here are some recent polls for the governor's race in Georgia:
- Oct. 4 — Decision Desk HQ, Jackson 48.8%, Bottoms 46.8%
- Oct. 4 — Silver Bulletin, Jackson 47.8%, Bottoms 46.9% (this is an average calculated from many polls, not an independent poll)
- Oct. 2-3 — Wedgewood Polls, Jackson 51%, Bottoms 49%
- Sept. 22-23 — InsiderAdvantage, Jackson 48%, Bottoms 46%
- Sept. 15-18 — YouGov, Jackson 47%, Bottoms 44%
When are Midterm Elections?
- First day of early voting: Oct. 13
- Last day of early voting: Oct. 30
- Election day: Nov. 3
- Runoff election day (if needed): Dec. 1
Miguel Legoas is a Deep South Connect Team Reporter for USA Today. Find him on Instagram @miguelegoas and email at mlegoas@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Who won Georgia governor debate? Key points, issues from Tuesday night
