Georgia governor candidates focus on affordability at Chamber luncheon

The Georgia Chamber of Commerce welcomed more than 2,000 community leaders to its annual Congressional Luncheon last week.

The speakers included Gov. Brian Kemp, U.S. Rep. Mike Collins and both candidates for governor, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and Rick Jackson.

The two candidates for governor harped on affordability while they spoke, particularly healthcare affordability, according to Georgia Public Broadcasting.

Bottoms, the Democratic nominee, promoted Medicaid as a cornerstone of her healthcare agenda.

“It weakens our entire healthcare system when we don’t expand Medicaid,” she said.

Republican Rick Jackson said that he agreed with an “intelligent” Medicaid expansion while also lowering the cost of commercial insurance.

“I’m not gonna measure our state by how many people are on Medicaid.,” he said. “I wanna measure how many people are in commercial insurance.”

The event also featured a panel of additional candidates running for Congress. To watch comments from each candidate, visit the Chamber’s YouTube channel.

Georgia First Lady Marty Kemp received the 2026 Blanchard Servant Leadership Award for her efforts to combat human trafficking, promote mental health advocacy and encourage pet adoptions.

The Georgia Chamber Corporate Citizen Award went to Cox Enterprises for its commitment to corporate responsibility, community engagement, and environmental stewardship.