SAVANNAH, Ga. – The first Democratic gubernatorial forum of the year took place on Thursday at a Baptist church. The Democratic Party of Chatham County hosted the forum, and WJCL News anchor Greg Coy was the evening’s moderator. The nave inside Jonesville Baptist Church quickly filled as the locals looked to hear from the men and two women, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and State Rep. Ruwa Romman, running for Georgia’s top seat.
A large table sat on a stage behind a pew. The names of the people running for governor and participating in the forum were as follows: Bottoms, Olu Brown, Geoff Duncan, former State Representative Jason Esteves, State Representative Derrick Jackson, Romman, and Former DeKalb County CEO Mike Thurmond.
To say this will be a competitive race for the gubernatorial blue seat is a clear understatement. Along with polished and experienced politicians such as Duncan and Thurmond, there are popular and dynamic candidates like Esteves and Romman, as well as familiar names like Bottoms. There will also be some not-so-familiar names on the primary ballot, such as Brown, a former pastor of an Atlanta church.
The church is tucked within a mostly Black neighborhood on Montgomery Street, so Brown might have been familiar with the evening’s setting.
Democratic Party of Chatham County Communications Chair Orlando Scott said his party anticipates this election will be the most important in the state’s history. He took a moment to condemn the militaristic violence that took place in Minneapolis earlier this week.
“That is why tonight’s conversation about leadership matters,” Scott said. “Real leadership protects civilians and human rights.”
Jonesville Baptist Church Senior Pastor, Bishop James G. Rodges, gave the invocation prior to the start of the forum. He was followed by Savannah Mayor Van Johnson, who said he wanted to welcome everyone to “The greatest city on Earth.” Former Savannah Mayors Edna Jackson and Otis Johnson were also in attendance.
“One of these seven will be our next governor, and I’m glad they found their way to Savannah,” Johnson said.
It was the first political forum of the year and also the first for Savannah native Celeste Epps. The 66-year-old told The Atlanta Voice she wanted to be “more informed” and “involved” this time around.
Epps sat next to Safronia Ingram, another native of Savannah and an interested party.
The forum began with each candidate speaking about how they could be a governor who works with the White House on behalf of Georgians. They each took a shot at the current President during their minute-long statements.
“I don’t have to dream about fighting against Donald Trump. I’ve already done it and won,” Bottoms said.
The second topic of discussion was housing affordability and how the candidates would tackle that issue.
Thurmond, a multi-time elected statewide official, said he would “change and fundamentally shift how people keep roofs over their heads” by giving local leaders, like Johnson in Savannah, more power over housing in their cities and counties.
Esteves received a loud ovation when he said he would stop private equity firms from buying homes in Georgia. “At the end of the day, we need leadership, and that’s what we are lacking,” he said.
Romman, who has campaigned on housing affordability, said she also wants to stop corporations from buying homes.
The third topic of the forum, providing jobs and continuing the economic development that has taken place during the past terms of Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, followed a break in the live broadcast, which was aired on WJCL 22, the local ABC affiliate.
Duncan, the former Lieutenant Governor, stated that economic development needs to occur throughout the state, not just in Atlanta. Bottoms agreed.
“Community, compassion, and economic development can go hand-in-hand,” Bottoms said.
“I believe in resourcing entrepreneurs,” Brown said while briefly introducing a plan to make cannabis legal and taxed in the state of Georgia. “Your governor has to dream big,” he said.
The need to further workforce development was next on the topic list. All seven candidates agreed that the state’s minimum wage needed to be raised. Romman pointed out that the minimum wage in Georgia hasn’t been raised since she was seven years old in 1997.
Esteves, who used affordable child care programs as an example, said, “I think it’s incredibly important to make it affordable for people to go back to work. As governor, I’m going to make sure we fill all of those gaps.”
On expanding healthcare in the state, Bottoms said she would expand Medicaid coverage.
“Even before the Big Ugly Bill, we did not expand Medicaid.”
Duncan said the next governor would have to expand Medicaid, and that would mean working with the State Legislature.
Esteves took a slight at Duncan by saying he had an opportunity to do something about expanding Medicaid when he was the Lieutenant Governor. It was the first time during the forum that a candidate addressed another candidate by name.
Each candidate had a minute for a closing statement.
“There are more of us than there are of them,” Romman said.
“You can always count on me to put people ahead of politics,” Esteves said.
Duncan said, “Doing the right thing will never be wrong. The right thing is for Geoff Duncan to run for governor as a Democrat.”
Bottoms said, “I am here to earn your vote. This election is about the future.”
Thurmond had the boldest closing statement. “I’m Mike Thurmond, and I will be your next governor. From the outhouse to the courthouse. With your vote, we’re going to the governor’s house.”
Jackson, a father of seven and a U.S. Naval veteran, said, “This is personal. Every day when I wake up, I will come to your city. You won’t have to come to Atlanta.”
After the forum, Ingram thought the forum was “interesting.”
“The main thing I was looking for was facts and data,” she said. “I don’t think all of the candidates presented data.”
Ingram added that she thought Duncan, Esteves, and Romman did the best job of providing complete answers to the moderator’s questions.
Epps agreed that Esteves and Romman did the best. She had no previous knowledge of either candidate before Thursday night.
“I felt they were answering the questions on point,” she said.
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