Democratic governor candidates test their messages in Savannah forum
SAVANNAH — For much of the Democratic campaign for governor, rivals have largely played nice, staying in their own lanes with barely a veiled shot across the bow.
That changed Thursday at the first televised gubernatorial forum of the 2026 cycle, when former state Sen. Jason Esteves used the platform to unload on the most unlikely of candidates: former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, a Republican-turned-Democrat who has renounced many of his past political stances.
“I want to address the elephant in this room,” said Esteves. “And that’s the fact that we are in health care crisis because of Geoff Duncan and Republicans who, for the last 15 years, refused to expand Medicaid and then adopted an abortion ban that led to the preventable deaths of Black women.”
Duncan, who has said he was wrong to oppose Medicaid expansion and support abortion limits, didn’t respond directly to the attack. But it echoed the “skepticism” he said he’s faced for being a former Republican now running on a Democratic platform.
“Doing the right thing will never be the wrong thing,” he said, invoking his family motto. “And the right thing was for Geoff Duncan to push back on Donald Trump.”
He added later: “A second-place trophy isn’t going to solve these problems.”
It was the sharpest exchange of the night at the crowded forum, which drew seven Democratic contenders who weaved and dodged, parried and postured at the Jonesville Baptist Church over how they would confront Republicans and their allies if elected.
Democrats are hoping to flip the Governor’s Mansion for the first time in more than two decades, a task that would require not only defeating a Republican nominee but also governing alongside a likely GOP-controlled General Assembly and the administration of President Donald Trump.
Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, the early polling front-runner, cited her history of battling the president in her first term, including a 2018 order prohibiting the city’s jail from accepting new detainees from federal immigration agents.
“I don’t have to dream about fighting Donald Trump. I’ve already done it,” she said. “And won.”
Duncan highlighted his record as a Trump critic before switching parties last year, pointing to his testimony this week in Washington before a Democratic committee marking the anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, pro-Trump mob attack on the U.S. Capitol.
“Hopefully, he said, “there’s no doubt in this room that I’m willing to stand up to Donald Trump.”
Former DeKalb County chief executive Michael Thurmond warned that rhetorical combat alone isn’t enough.
“Just because people fight against Donald Trump doesn’t mean that they are fighting for you,” he said to applause. “I will fight for you.”
Diverging visions
The hourlong forum offered an early opportunity to hash out positions in a wide-open primary that spans the party’s ideological spectrum — from liberal state Rep. Ruwa Romman to Esteves, who has secured backing from key establishment figures, to Thurmond and Duncan, who are pitching themselves as pragmatic alternatives aimed at more moderate voters.
Bottoms is appealing to the party’s loyal base. State Rep. Derrick Jackson and Pastor Olu Brown are also vying for distinct blocs of the electorate.
The forum came just hours after Stacey Abrams, a two-time Democratic nominee, definitively ruled out a third run this year.
As unsettled as the Democratic contest appears, Republicans are facing their own bruising primary. Attorney General Chris Carr, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger are all jockeying for the GOP nomination.
The event allowed Democrats to outline overlapping priorities — including universal support for expanding Medicaid — while sharpening other differences in their platforms.
Romman promoted her plan to raise the minimum wage. Thurmond said he would draw on his experience as a statewide labor commissioner to turbocharge job creation. Duncan touted a proposal to tap Georgia’s budget surplus to expand health care access and address housing affordability.
Esteves promised to overhaul the state’s child care system. Brown emphasized workforce development. Bottoms pledged to make technical and community college free statewide.
Notably, Jackson and Romman also both called for a “pause” on the rapid expansion of data centers, an emerging fault line in Georgia politics.
The forum was organized by the bipartisan Savannah Debate Series, which plans similar events featuring Republican contenders.
The church’s cavernous sanctuary was transformed into a political arena, with Savannah’s political establishment filling the front pews and hundreds more packing the sanctuary — some waiting more than an hour for a seat in the church.
Here are some of their sharpest lines:
Bottoms: “I served as mayor under the first Trump administration. So I know what it’s like to have to stand up and fight against a bully.”
Brown: “I’m a builder, I’m an architect, I’m a designer. Help me build Georgia’s next chapter.”
Duncan: “I used to be a Republican, and I understand this is skepticism. But I want to make sure you understand I haven’t lost my mind. I found my heart.”
Esteves: “I will focus on what matters: your health, your wealth and your opportunities.”
Jackson: “We do not need a celebrity or a career politician. Georgia needs a qualified commander in chief and chief executive.”
Romman: “If you do the honor of electing me as your next governor, I will use every tool at my disposal to complete our platform and make sure that Georgia is a place that we can afford and where we belong.”
Thurmond: “I’m not discouraged. I’m not downtrodden. I’m not fearful about tomorrow. … Trump is in the White House, but God is still on his throne.”
About the Author
Greg Bluestein is the Atlanta Journal Constitution's chief political reporter. He is also an author, TV analyst and co-host of the Politically Georgia podcast.
