Democratic Georgia gubernatorial candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms has recently challenged her Republican opponent, Rick Jackson, to participate in a debate. Jackson’s continued reluctance to do so has drawn criticism from Georgia voters, as many believe the election will suffer from a lack of clarity regarding each candidate’s proposals.
According to CBS, Bottoms argued that “Georgians deserve to hear directly from their candidates,” adding that she would be happy to face off against the Republican in a debate. This was not the first time Bottoms had challenged Jackson to debate, however, as he previously declined due to alleged “schedule conflict” before spending the entire afternoon speaking to an audience of supporters.
The Democratic candidate is the former mayor of Atlanta and won the Democratic primary, securing her place in the general election. Businessman Rick Jackson is a billionaire healthcare executive who recently secured the GOP nomination.
Georgians Skeptical of Lack of Debate Before Election
Many voters seemed skeptical of Jackson’s decision to avoid debates while discussing the news on r/Georgia. One of them wrote: “He won’t. It’s the Trump playbook. Skip debates and let the acolytes vote for him anyway. Rinse. Repeat.” Another accused Republicans: “GOP are all snowflakes. They don’t like to get their feelings hurt on the debate stage.”
Some people were also seemingly appalled that Georgia law did not require a debate: “How is it not a requirement to have a debate? People should know where representatives stand on the issues. Fact-checking should also be allowed and encouraged.” Someone else said: “Debates should be mandatory. The candidates should have clearly defined platforms they are running on.”
Others mocked Jackson: “Maybe I should be more optimistic about her chances if the Republican candidate feels a debate would be bad for him.”
Despite many people defending the necessity of debates, one person questioned whether they even mattered: “Nobody who today plans to vote for either candidate is going to change their vote based on the outcome of a debate. Maybe. MAYBE, it would motivate voters to turn out who would have stayed home. Even that is doubtful.”
It remains to be seen who will win the Georgia gubernatorial race, but these comments suggest that most people believe it would be best for the candidates to debate at least once before the election.
