We’re a year out from the gubernatorial election, but it’s never too soon to hear from the individuals vying to lead the state.
The Politically Georgia candidate forum was held Wednesday evening, featuring the Politically Georgia cast — Greg Bluestein, Tia Mitchell and Patricia Murphy — and candidates running for governor of Georgia.
You can view the video replay below of the livestreamed event.
Thanks for tuning in to Politically Georgia's candidates' forum!
And thanks to Geoff Duncan, Jason Esteves, Keisha Lance Bottoms, Mike Thurmond, Brad Raffensperger and Chris Carr for joining us to share their ideas about the state's future.
Follow our political coverage at ajc.com and our podcast, Politically Georgia.
Chris Carr has focused on gang violence and human trafficking as Georgia's attorney general.
“I believe that no matter your race, your gender, your religion, your sexual orientation, where you live or where you’re from, you deserve to be safe in this state," he said.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Geoff Duncan is hanging out in the back of the room, watching Republican Chris Carr talk.
Attorney General Chris Carr says Congress should get back to work and reopen the federal government.
"That's both parties," he said. "Compromise cannot be a bad word."
Attorney General Chris Carr criticized Lt. Gov. Burt Jones for skipping tonight's forum. Both are Republican candidates for governor.
"And there is one no show and I am told that's because he has a family conflict," Carr said.
"Ya’ll he’s got a lot of family conflicts," he said, presumably referring to scrutiny of Jones' family business.
Carr said Jones' plan to eliminate the state's income tax "is a great plan for his family." Carr says his plan would focus on reducing property taxes.
Attorney General Chris Carr, a Republican candidate for governor, says it's obvious that Tuesday's election "was about affordability."
"You're a fool if you don't recognize that," he said. "To me, it all starts with a good paying job all across the state."
Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr has taken the stage and is speaking to Patricia Murphy. Since taking office 2019, Carr has made gang violence and human trafficking key issues.
He was previously chief of staff for U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson. He also served as Gov. Nathan Deal’s commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development from 2013 to 2006.
Brad Raffensperger faced personal threats and backlash from President Donald Trump and his allies for refusing to overturn the 2020 election results.
As governor, he said he'll stand up to Trump and look out for Georgia.
"No matter what, I’ll do the right thing," he said. "No matter what, I will stand up for Georgia."
Brad Raffensperger avoided directly answering questions about whether Georgia should backfill benefits to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program during the government shutdown or whether Congress should extend health insurance benefits.
"I'm running for governor," he said. I'm focused on what I can do as governor."
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger defended elections in the state, saying that Georgia has a robust citizenship check via photo IDs.
“What I do know is that we have the most secure elections (and) the safest elections in the entire country," he said.
In 2020, Raffensperger stood up to President Donald Trump, famously refusing the president's demand to "find" the votes he needed to win Georgia.
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