Georgia candidates enter debate gauntlet

The attack ads are about to give way to something riskier: live microphones.

An 18-debate gauntlet begins Sunday and runs through Tuesday as the Atlanta Press Club’s Loudermilk-Young debate series collides with the final stretch of Georgia’s primary season.

For some candidates, it’s the only chance before the May 19 vote to reach a statewide audience. For others, it’s one more stop on an already packed circuit. And in at least one marquee race, it could be the only direct confrontation of the campaign.

The timing is no accident. Early voting starts Monday, giving contenders a prominent platform to sharpen contrasts, rattle rivals and sway undecided voters before ballots are cast.

The debates will stream live on GPB.org and the Atlanta Press Club’s YouTube channel. Here’s what we’re watching.

Governor’s race

The biggest event may come Monday, when Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and billionaire health care executive Rick Jackson meet face-to-face in what Jackson says will be the only debate he joins ahead of the primary.

That raises the stakes considerably. Since his surprise February entry, Jackson has surged into contention at Jones’ expense. The spending war between the two has already shattered records, crowding out attention for nearly every other race on the ballot.

Now they’ll have to make their case in person instead of in 30-second attack ads.

The debate also gives Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Attorney General Chris Carr perhaps their best opening yet to break through as alternatives to the two heavyweights dominating the airwaves.

Democrats debate earlier Monday with a different dynamic. Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms enters as the front-runner, leaving rivals to decide whether to confront her directly or focus on a scramble for second place. Bottoms, meanwhile, has an eye on an outright win.

Democrats debate at 2 p.m. Monday. Republicans follow at 4 p.m.

Senate race

Georgia Republicans increasingly fear the contest to take on U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff is slipping away while their own primary remains unsettled.

That makes Sunday’s GOP debate especially important for U.S. Reps. Buddy Carter and Mike Collins, along with former football coach Derek Dooley.

Each faces the same challenge, hoping to energize Republican primary voters without veering so far right that they hobble a November matchup against a formidable Democratic incumbent.

That debate begins at 3:15 p.m. Sunday.

13th Congressional District

This race was supposed to center on whether Democratic U.S. Rep. David Scott could beat back a field of younger, more confrontational contenders after questions about his health and political future.

Scott’s death this week transformed it overnight into one of the state’s most unpredictable contests.

Now the focus turns to a suddenly open battle among former Gwinnett school board chair Everton Blair, state Rep. Jasmine Clark, state Sen. Emanuel Jones and a broader field that includes reality TV personality Heavenly Kimes.

Candidates are also navigating the likelihood of a separate special election to fill the remainder of Scott’s term, triggering overlapping campaigns for the heavily Democratic district.

That debate is Monday at 5:45 p.m.

Other congressional fights

Open-seat contests to succeed Carter, Collins and retiring U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk could offer a real-time test of how national fights over President Donald Trump, foreign policy and the economy are filtering into Georgia primaries.

Those races often get overshadowed, but they can be among the clearest signals of where the grassroots base is headed.