ATLANTA, Ga. — Republican governor candidate Rick Jackson declined the Atlanta Press Club invitation to Monday night’s governor debate, leaving Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms alone at the lectern as early voting approached across Georgia.
The Press Club’s Loudermilk-Young series opened two days of statewide debates before early voting began Tuesday. The 8 p.m. governor slot featured Bottoms answering questions while an empty lectern stood for Jackson.
Bottoms has criticized Jackson for skipping multiple debates and said he is unwilling to face tough questions. Jackson’s campaign said he is prioritizing time speaking directly with voters and noted he already debated Bottoms once, in a town hall hosted last week.
That earlier debate remains the only joint appearance Jackson accepted. The open governor’s race is one of the marquee contests on the Nov. 3 ballot alongside the U.S. Senate race between Sen. Jon Ossoff and Rep. Mike Collins.
Jackson instead planned a statewide press tour with Gov. Brian Kemp, routing fly-around events through cities including Savannah, Macon, Columbus, Augusta and Atlanta rather than another shared stage with Bottoms.
Georgia voters will also choose a lieutenant governor, attorney general and secretary of state. Early voting runs through Oct. 30.
Campaign strategists on both sides say the empty-lectern image will follow Jackson through the early voting window even as he argues town-hall retail politics matter more than another televised exchange in Atlanta.
Bottoms used the solo format to press her case on public safety and affordability while arguing statewide voters deserve to hear both candidates answer the same questions on the same night.
