With only six days until the early voting period begins on Monday, April 27, several of the men running for the state’s top spot gathered on stage to (re)tell voters their personal, professional, and political stories.
The bipartisan gubernatorial forum took place at the Porter Sanford III Performing Arts & Community Center in Decatur. Not all gubernatorial candidates participated in the forum on Tuesday night. Democratic candidates Olu Brown, former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, former State Senator Jason Esteves, State Rep. Derrick Jackson, former DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond, and Republican candidates and political newcomers Clark Dean and Kenneth Yasger were in attendance. Political journalist and Spelman College alumna Maya Prabhu was the moderator for the evening.
It was made clear at the start of the forum that all of the gubernatorial candidates were invited to the forum. Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms was the only Democratic candidate not to take part in the forum.
The questions for the seven men in attendance ranged from hypothetical to reflective. There was even an opportunity for a student, a senior, at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, to ask one of the candidates a question. The young lady selected DeKalb County’s own Michael Thurmond and added for context, “And keep in mind that I am going to be a first-time voter.” That line drew loud applause, even from Thurmond.
The race for governor will not be solidified by what took place on the stage tonight, but there were several dozen potential votes in the room that may help untangle what looks to be headed to a runoff. The runoff election, if necessary, will take place on June 16.
Along with popular issues such as affordability and the cost of healthcare, the current United States President, Donald Trump, was mentioned early on. DeKalb County is one of the few heavily Democratic counties in a state that Trump won during the presidential elections against former United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and, most recently, against former United States Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024. The fact that Trump will only have two years in the White House when the governor’s race is settled in November, and the electee takes office in January 2027, didn’t stop some candidates from mentioning the two-term Commander-in-Chief.
“I will stand up and fight back against Donald Trump,” said Esteves.
“I know what’s going on in Washington, but I ain’t tired, I ain’t scared, and I’m ready for the fight,” said Thurmond.
Jackson, who had to leave early, said healthcare was at the top of his list of priorities. “Healthcare has to be number one, and affordability has to be number two,” he said.
Brown, who is a political neophyte along with Dean and Yasger, took time to tell the crowd about his monthly therapy visit and how that has helped him. He said therapy should be more affordable for Georgians as part of more affordable healthcare.
Prabhu asked an interesting question to the candidates that drew some equally interesting answers: What was something they did as a leader that they wish they could have done better?
Thurmond, as usual, was raw and relatable with his answer. He has a long history with DeKalb County, so if there was a place he could be honest, it was on that stage on Tuesday night. As the former DeKalb County Superintendent, he has plenty of stories.
“We should have invested more in our teachers and our students,” said Thurmond, who added that the lessons he learned from his time as an administrator will be with him as governor. “I have learned from the things that I didn’t accomplish.”
Esteves, who, along with Brown, is the only former teacher among the Democratic candidates, has always advocated for teacher salary raises along with raising the state’s minimum wage.
“We’re number one in the SEC football, but we’re last in teacher pay,” Brown said.
Before he left, Jackson, who lost an election for Lt. governor several years ago, said he learned that the system is in control and favors candidates like Rick Jackson, whom he did not mention by name, who spend a lot of money and wield influence. He explained. “We have to stop manufacturing who should be the next candidate for anything. We need to let the people decide.”
Duncan, a former Republican who seems to have to explain that change of stripes every time he speaks in public, said of affordability: “Nobody should ever work full-time, but sleep in their cars. We have to do better. Nobody wants to live a life of poverty.”
As part of a lightning round, Prabhu asked all seven candidates if they believed the Georgia 2020 election results, which were in favor of former United States President Joseph Biden, were fair. All seven agreed that it was indeed fair.
That might be the last time all seven men agree on something. In about a month, following the primary election for governor, there won’t be that many of them on stage again.
Asked what both parties have gotten wrong in the past, Dean said, “The biggest crisis that we are facing right now is the crisis of division.”
