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Two days after the Democratic Party of Georgia hosted all seven Democratic gubernatorial candidates for a forum (not to be confused with a debate) in the auditorium at Chamblee High School, another gubernatorial forum took place a couple of miles away in Atlanta.
“Shaping the New Georgia: The Governor’s Race” began at noon inside the Ali at Lakewood event space. The bipartisan political event was hosted by the venue’s owner, Omar Ali, a local entrepreneur, and moderated by Ray Cobb, Tamisha Harris, and Ali. Taking place on a Saturday afternoon, the setting of this local political forum couldn’t have been any different from what took place on Thursday in Chamblee. And that’s one of the positives about public forums during a major election season. The settings, the attendees, the questions, and the focus are all different and can benefit, and in some cases, hurt a candidate’s campaign.
Harris posed questions to the candidates about the affordability crisis, education, small businesses in Georgia, college affordability, skills training, and how they would address increases in property taxes.
The Democratic candidates who attended on Saturday were Olu Brown, former Georgia Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan, State Rep. Derrick Jackson, former State Senator Jason Esteves, and State Rep. Ruwa Romman. The Republican side of the ticket was represented by Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr and Clark Dean. The absence of former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, a Democrat, and Republicans Burt Jones, Rick Jackson, and the current Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger did not go unnoticed.
“There are three really rich guys trying to buy your vote,” said Carr during one of the moments he got to address the 40-plus people in attendance. The room was full of people, including Ali at Lakewood staff members dressed in all black, local media, and respective campaign staffers.
Saturday was the first time Carr, who called Jackson, Jones, and Raffensperger “no-shows”, took part in a bipartisan forum in 2026. He said forums like these are important to any candidate’s campaign.
Photo by Tabius McCoy/The Atlanta Voice
“When you’re running for governor in a state of 11 million people, you represent everyone. I am trying to get everyone I possibly can to hear my message and vote for me on May 19,” Carr said.
On Saturday, Feb. 28, the Clayton County Democratic Party will host a gubernatorial forum at Living Faith International Ministries in Forest Park. This will be another opportunity for candidates to get in front of voters.
“Voters deserve the opportunity to hear from all the candidates they will pick from to make educated decisions going into the primary,” said Romman, whose campaign has conducted the largest door-knocking grassroots campaign to date. “These forums also provide a space outside of social media and TV to engage with those who might be representing them.”
Duncan called forums like those at Ali at Lakewood, Chamblee High School, and a church in Savannah, for example, opportunities to “share my story.”
“You’re on the hot seat, and you have to answer the questions, and you don’t know what the questions are, so people get to see and hear your heart,” Duncan said. “I think that’s what America, and specifically Georgia, wants. They want honest and authentic individuals to show up and make decisions.”
Duncan, famously a former Republican, has participated in all forums held since the new year began. He said there’s value in being everywhere the voters are when they are looking to learn more about the people running for the state’s top seat.
Photo by Tabius McCoy/The Atlanta Voice
“People are tired of politicians lying to them, telling them what they want to hear during the campaign cycles, then showing up on the job as damaged goods,” Duncan said.
Looking around the room, which was decorated with candles, table settings, following the forum, Duncan added, “Rooms like this turn into thousands and thousands of votes. If somebody performed well or answered the questions authentically, or was prepared more so than their opponents, then I think the reach is so much further than in this room.”
Esteves seems to understand the value of forums. He held a Black men’s roundtable at a local business last month, and told The Atlanta Voice he had more of those smaller, more intimate forums planned for the first half of the campaign season.
“I’m not taking a single vote for granted — it’s why I’m traveling across the state to talk about my vision of health, wealth, and opportunity for every Georgian,” said Esteves. “Forums provide a critical platform to meet voters where they are and draw contrast with my opponents — Democrats and Republicans — who have continuously failed hardworking Georgians.”
As Georgia’s Attorney General, Carr has the name recognition that may allow him to miss out on smaller forums like the one on Saturday, but he told The Atlanta Voice that he understood why they were as important as the larger political events that will take place in the months to come.
“Politics should be a game of addition, not subtraction,” said Carr, who said it was “foolish” to skip forums. “If you’re running for governor, you owe people the opportunity to ask you questions and to hear your vision.”
Dean, a dark-horse candidate and an admitted non-politician, said he was happy to address Democratic, Republican, and independent voters on Saturday. This was also his first time participating in a bipartisan forum.
“Public forums like this are important because they give us a chance to meet the clients,” said Dean, who elaborated that the governor has 11 million clients. “How can you serve them if you don’t get to know them? This is what it’s all about: the people.”
Romman has also been front and center at all forums this year, both big and small, including in Savannah at Jonesville Baptist Church, which took place in early January. That was the first gubernatorial debate of the year, and the first time all seven Democratic candidates shared a stage.
“As a candidate, it’s also been a valuable resource to show voters, not just tell them, why we have the best policies and campaign,” Romman said. “It’s important for elected officials to be in community with the people they represent. These public forums create an opportunity to deepen that community.”
Dominique Davis, a makeup artist and model, stood in the back of the room and took it all in. Saturday at Ali at Lakewood was the first time the 23-year-old Massachusetts native witnessed a political forum in person. She was there to do the makeup of one of the moderators and decided to see what all the fuss was about.
“I think it’s important to be here because the world is crazy right now, so it’s important to see everything that’s going on,” said Davis, who has lived in Georgia for a short time. “I can learn a lot about Georgia politics like this.”
The former Mayor of Atlanta, Bottoms, is familiar with political forums and meet-and-greets. She attended the forums in Chamblee and Savannah and might attend the Forest Park forum on Saturday. She, too, spoke highly of public forums, speaking to The Atlanta Voice following the Chamblee forum.
“It’s always good for the people to hear directly from us,” Bottoms said as she was flanked by her security and husband, Derel Bottoms. “So, it’s always a great opportunity to share more about our platforms.
“I always appreciate the opportunity,” Bottoms said.
There will be many opportunities for the voting public to hear from her and the other candidates running for political office before the May 19 primary election. That includes State Rep. Tanya Miller, who is running to fill Carr’s seat as Attorney General and spoke to the audience at the start of the forum.
Early voting for the primary election begins on Monday, April 27.
The post Georgia’s gubernatorial candidates weigh in on the value of public forums appeared first on The Atlanta Voice.
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