With early voting for the midterms starting in just over three weeks, Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms visited Augusta on Friday as part of her campaign for Georgia governor.
The day started with dropping in on a voter rally at Paine College. There was free food, performances by the Academy of Richmond County Purple Pride Marching Band, and multiple vendors offering voter information and registration. The day ended with a meet-and-greet plus Q&A with supporters at the Central Station event venue on Central Avenue.
We visited both events, speaking to her at one of them and hearing Bottoms detail both her personal and political policies. Here were the highlights:
Affordability and cost of living
Our analysis found that voters are most concerned about their wallets going into the midterms,
with prices rising on gas, electricity, and other necessities. Bottoms expressed how this has extended to the youngest adults, with college students sometimes having to choose between books, rent, and tuition.
"I've just proposed that we allow local governments to end or suspend grocery taxes," Bottoms said. "I want to create an affordable housing trust fund to help address workforce housing. ... Average starting teacher pay in the state of Georgia is $43,000 a year; I want to raise that to $60,000 and eliminate state income taxes for our teachers."
AI data centers
Bottoms said she is hearing a lot of concern around AI on the campaign trail, and believes Georgia needs to slow down and reassess the expansion of data centers. She said college students are worried AI will replace them and they won't be able to find a job, and communities are worried about the local impact.
"You hear some leaders go, 'but the money, but the money' and you're hearing the communities saying, 'What about my power bill and my water source?'" Bottoms said.
Partisan politics
Bottoms was asked about a "progressive blue wave" happening all over the country. She explained that, while she is glad to see the enthusiasm and believes in the power of mobilization, she has always identified as a moderate and is concerned about extremes to the left or extremes to the right.
"There are policy areas that we can all agree on and some things we're just not going to agree on," Bottoms said. "Sometimes people don't understand that, to get things accomplished, sometimes you've got to do things down the middle. You're not going to always get everything you want. ... We just have to be able to work together and compromise."
Keisha Lance Bottoms on religion
Her moderate views also extend to her stance on religion. After being asked about a "spiritual battle" and how we need to "seek Jesus," Bottoms described herself as a Christian of deep faith, but is not going to force that on anyone else.
"There are people who claim to be Christians, and in my opinion, politically, are doing everything that is the antithesis of the teachings of Christ," she said. "The Bible I read says no sin is greater than the other. ... I don't like the weaponization of religion. ... What my faith teaches me is that you love thy neighbor, and that you forgive thy neighbor. ... It's something that is deeply personal to me, but I'm also mindful that there are people of many faiths and I have to be respectful of their faiths as well."
GA governor race polls 2026
This race has been incredibly tight. Bottoms has been ahead more often, but in the most recent poll by Rasmussen Reports, her Republican opponent Rick Jackson was leading. In most cases, they have been apart by three points or less, with 270toWin calculating average popularities of 46.7% for Bottoms and 45.7% for Jackson. Bottoms' view of it is that, after millions of dollars in ad campaigns, way more than she is spending, they are still practically tied.
"He may have the money, but the people still have the power," she said. "At the end of the day, it's about taking our message directly to the people, asking people to be our megaphones to amplify our message and our vision for this state."
It's also worth noting that, since July, polling finds an average of 7% of voters are still not sure for whom they will cast their ballot. Bottoms would go on to say that no politician is going to be perfect and advised voters to look for the person that most aligns with their values.
Midterm Elections 2026 date
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Early voting starts Tuesday, Oct. 13.
GA voter registration
The registration deadline is Oct. 5. All of your voting information, including registration, polling locations, and sample ballots, can be found at mvp.sos.ga.gov.
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 Augusta Chronicle: Keisha Lance Bottoms pitches tax cuts, housing aid in Augusta
