by Margaret Coker, The Current, Georgia Recorder, [This article first appeared in the Georgia Recorder, republished with permission]

January 8, 2026

The seven Democratic candidates vying to become governor addressed Coastal Georgia voters Thursday in the first major policy forum of the election year, with each aiming to distinguish themselves amid a crowded race for the state’s top job.

Georgia Democrats are hoping that the lack of incumbent — current Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican, will leave office at the end of 2026 due to term limits — and rising economic difficulties will boost their party’s chances of winning the powerful position for the first time in more than 20 years.

The seven Democrats who took the stage were former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms; Olu Brown, a businessman and retired pastor; former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan; former state Sen. Jason Esteves, who also runs three family businesses; state Rep. Derrick Jackson, a U.S Navy veteran and former General Electric official; community activist and state Rep. Ruwa Romman; and former DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond.

While the group presented a diverse range of ages, race, professional experience and socioeconomic backgrounds, the candidates sounded very similar when it came to policy positions, leaving it unclear how they will ultimately differentiate themselves for party faithful who vote in the May primary.

The one-hour event held at Savannah’s Jonesville Baptist Church allowed candidates to introduce themselves and highlight their credentials to run the state, yet covered only four main topics: health care, economic development and workforce training, the Trump administration and housing.

The format allowed for one-minute answers and discouraged criticism or debate among the candidates. Candidates’ answers, as a result, sounded very similar. Everyone promised to expand Medicaid as a way to help increase health care coverage, a policy that Gov. Kemp and the Republican-led legislature have rejected although 40 other states have adopted. Each person proposed expanding an affordable housing fund and rental assistance to help improve home ownership and help Georgians build stable futures. They also all agreed that technical training and community college should be free to all adults in the state.

Time did not allow for expansive discussions of how to pay for these programs, but many candidates suggested using some of Georgia’s $14 billion budget surplus for these efforts.

Organizers said they chose the format to promote civility and thoughtful answers for the top concerns of Coastal Georgia voters. Organizers were also unabashed in reminding candidates that any victory to statewide office would require engagement from voters outside of Atlanta.

“Chatham County is one of the largest counties in the state, and the 1st Congressional District is a big part of Georgia’s economy and growth. We want folks to take us as a region seriously,” Chatham County Commissioner Aaron “Adot” Whitely, chairman of the Democratic Party of Chatham County.

Ahead of the forum, two of the area’s most influential Democrats got roaring standing ovations from the approximately 1,000 attendees in the church sanctuary: Alicia Johnson, the Savannah native and new member of the Public Service Commission whose electoral victory in November made her the first Black woman to win a statewide race in Georgia, and Savannah Mayor Van Johnson. The two officials are not related, and both are expected to help turn out the vote, both in the spring primary and in November, for all Democrats running for state office.

Bottoms, the former Atlanta mayor, is a close ally and friend of the Savannah leader. While he has not formally endorsed her, she used her closing statement to call him out by name on the stage.

Johnson, however, confirmed to The Current after the forum that he had not made a decision about which candidate he would back. “Several of the candidates are friends of mine,” the mayor said.

The Democratic forum was the first in a planned “Savannah Debate Series” being organized by the Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Savannah Black Chamber of Commerce, the Chatham County Democratic Party and the Chatham County Republican Party, as well as local news station WJCL. The group plans to hold a Republican gubernatorial forum in the spring, followed by a general election debate between the party nominees for the governor’s race later this year.

March 6 is the last day for candidates to qualify to run for the November election. Primaries to select the Democratic and Republican nominees for governor, as well as other state offices, and U.S. Senator will take place on May 19.

This article first appeared on The Current and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. The Current is an independent, in-depth and investigative journalism website for Coastal Georgia.

Georgia Recorder is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Georgia Recorder maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jill Nolin for questions: info@georgiarecorder.com.