play_arrow
Georgia NOW Live Streaming Now
play_arrow
The Politics Bar After Hours - The Benchers
Keisha Lance Bottoms, the Democratic nominee for Georgia governor, speaks at the Georgia Chamber of Commerce Congressional Luncheon on Aug. 5, 2026. Credit: Georgia Chamber of Commerce.
In the first, and possibly only, televised debate between the Georgia gubernatorial candidates, Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms and Republican Rick Jackson traded blows while also agreeing on some policy issues.
The two candidates answered dozens of questions concerning issues from law enforcement to health care in only one minute.
Both Bottoms and Jackson agreed that law enforcement’s use of Flock cameras need more accountability and that Medicaid should be expanded, although they differed on exactly how they would expand it.
Both candidates also attacked each other on their records.
Bottoms depicted Jackson as a yes-man for President Donald Trump.
“My opponent has said he wants to beat Trump’s favorite governor. He wants to be Trump with a Southern tone. He said there’s not a single policy that he disagrees with Trump on,” she said.
Jackson refuted that argument saying that he was independent from influence.
“I don’t owe anybody anything. Nobody’s ever told me what to do. My number one priority is Georgians. It’s you. And I will stand up to anybody,” he said.
Jackson attacked Bottoms on her record in how she handled public safety in Atlanta during her time as mayor while Bottoms attacked Jackson for his leadership of a multibillion-dollar healthcare company.
Watch the full debate here.
Written by: Jenna Eason
2026 election Election Georgia Georgia governor Georgia Governor Race Keisha Lance Bottoms race Rick Jackson
Thom Hartmann is a New York Times bestselling, four-times Project Censored Award-winning author and host of The Thom Hartmann Program, which broadcasts live nationwide each weekday from noon to 3pm Eastern. For 20 years, the show has reached audiences across AM/FM stations throughout the US, on SiriusXM satellite radio, and as video on Free Speech TV, YouTube, Facebook, and X/Twitter.
closeCopyright Georgia NOW Radio - 2026
Post comments (0)