For more than three decades, the Atlanta Press Club has hosted political debates for the state's highest offices.
From the Public Service Commission to the U.S. Senate, candidates hoping to hold statewide office in Georgia have prepared to take the stage in Atlanta before a panel of reporters, each answering questions from the press and making the case for their campaign.
At the beginning of this year's midterm election season it was no different. Primary candidates stood behind podiums at the Atlanta sound stage and their debates were televised on Georgia Public Broadcasting. Each candidate hoped to represent their party on the ballot in November, and they honored the precedent set by candidates past at the Loudermilk-Young debates.
Until it came
to Republican gubernatorial candidateRick Jackson.
Jackson participated in the first round of debates in April for the Republican governor primary race, standing among seven other candidates as they fielded questions from a reporter panel.
But when it came time to face Lt. Gov. Burt Jones in a runoff debate, Jackson declined, and Jones appeared at the Atlanta Press Club debate across from an empty podium.
Now, as the general election is coming to a close, Jackson has once again declined to participate in the debate against Democratic candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms, marking the first time in 32 years the press club will not host a governor's debate with both candidates.
Jackson chooses one debate to state his case
Jackson announced his plans for debates months ago, and reaffirmed his stance at the beginning of September.
Jackson agreed to a single town hall-style debate format with Atlanta News First on Tuesday, Oct. 6 at 8 p.m. in Atlanta. The debate will be hosted by Rick Folbaum, anchor and host of "On the Record," and will field questions from undecided Georgia voters.
"Rick is running to fight for everyday Georgians — not the media, not the political class, and not the special interests," campaign spokesperson Garrison Douglas said in a statement in July. "This format allows voters to ask their own questions, hear direct answers, and decide for themselves who they trust to move Georgia forward."
The Jackson campaign confirmed again to USA TODAY on Sept. 1 Jackson would not be attending the Atlanta Press Club debate, and that he was instead focused on his more than 150 events across the state and speaking to real voters. Douglas told USA TODAY the ANF town hall would "be the debate for (this) election."
Lauri Strauss, executive producer of the debate series, told Capitol Beat on Sept. 22 the Jackson campaign had again formally declined the invitation.
Bottoms, on the other hand, agreed to six debates over the course of the general election season, only one of which was with ANF.
On Sept. 17, Bottoms took the debate stage alone in Macon after Jackson declined to attend, and addressed voters directly instead of debating.
"There's an opportunity to directly address voters during debates and allow voters to see the comparison in real time," Bottoms said at the event. "So this debate will be streamed, it will be televised, and people will hear from us directly and compare our vision for the state. And again, Rick Jackson is not attending."
Bottoms' team also told USA TODAY the former mayor of Atlanta will still attend the Atlanta Press Club debate during the scheduled debate time, likely standing next to an empty podium just as Jones did against Jackson in the primary runoff. That event will be held on Oct. 12.
Jackson, Bottoms remain close in polls
Two recent polls on the governor's race have shown the two candidates neck-and-neck, with their difference within the polls' margin of error.
A Rasmussen Reports poll published Sept. 16 showed Jackson with 48% support compared to Bottoms with 45% support. The pollster, which historically leans conservative, said there was another 7% of undecided voters, a high enough percentage to swing the race one way or another.
In a new YouGov poll, Jackson was up just 45% to Bottoms' 44% among all voters. This is well within the multi-point margin of error, and just as tight as previous polls have shown the race. Jackson's team shared a 47% lead over Bottoms from the same poll, but this was only among "strict" voters, meaning those who voted in 2024 and said they would "definitely" vote in November, excluding voters who did not vote in 2024 or that were less confident they would vote this time, despite responding to the poll.
Five previous polls have found the race tight throughout the general season:
- Quantus Insights had Bottoms ahead at 46.4%, Jackson at 44.9%, and 7.7% undecided.
- AARP had Bottoms ahead at 48%, Jackson at 46%, and 5% undecided.
- State Navigate had Bottoms ahead at 51%, Jackson at 44%, and 5% undecided.
- Fox News had Bottoms ahead at 52%, Jackson at 48%, with no accounting for undecided voters.
- Wick had Jackson ahead with 43.2%, Bottoms at 42.7%, and 14.1% undecided.
When are the other Atlanta Press Club debates?
There are still lots of debates scheduled with the Atlanta Press Club. Here's a full look:
Monday, October 12 —
- Lieutenant Governor: Greg Dolezal (R) and Josh McLaurin (D) — 1:30-2:30 p.m., GPB broadcast Oct. 12 at 7 p.m.
- Attorney General: Brian Strickland (R) and Tanya Miller (D) — 2:45-3:15 p.m., GPB broadcast Oct. 12 at 7:30 p.m.
- Secretary of State: Tim Fleming (R) and Penny Brown Reynolds (D) — 3:45-4:15 p.m., GPB broadcast Oct. 13 at 7:30 p.m.
- Public Service Commission, District 3: Fitz Johnson (R) and Peter Hubbard (D) — 5:30-6 p.m., GPB broadcast Oct. 13 at 4 p.m. — Johnson has not confirmed attendance.
- Public Service Commission, District 5: Josh Tolbert (R) and Shelia Edwards (D) — 6:30-7 p.m., GPB broadcast Oct. 13 at 4:30 p.m.
- Governor: Rick Jackson (R) and Keisha Lance Bottoms (D) — 8-9 p.m., GPB broadcast Oct. 12 at 8 p.m. — Jackson will not attend.
Tuesday, October 13 —
- School Superintendent: Richards Woods (R) and Lydia Powell (D) — 2:30-3 p.m., GPB broadcast Oct. 14 at 3 p.m.
- Agriculture Commissioner: Tyler Harper (R) and Katherine Juhan-Arnold (D) — 3:45-4:15 p.m., GPB broadcast Oct. 14 at 3:30 p.m.
- Insurance Commissioner: John King (R) and Keisha Waites (D) — 4:45-5:15 p.m., GPB broadcast Oct. 14 at 4 p.m.
- Labor Commissioner: Bárbara Rivera Holmes (R) and Nikki Porcher (D) — 6-6:30 p.m., GPB broadcast Oct. 14 at 4:30 p.m.
- U.S. Senate: Mike Collins (R) and Jon Ossoff (D) — 8-9 p.m., GPB broadcast Oct. 13 at 8 p.m.
Irene Wright covers midterm races in Georgia as the Atlanta Connect reporter with USA Today’s Deep South Connect team. Find her on X @IreneEWright or email her at ismith@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Atlanta Press Club hosts governor debates for decades. Not this year
