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Bipartisan forum held in Georgia gubernatorial election
Six Democrats and two Republicans met together to discuss why they should be Georgia's next governor.
ATLANTA - Eight candidates vying to become Georgia’s next governor gathered Saturday for a bipartisan roundtable forum in southeast Atlanta.
The event, held at Ali Events at Lakewood, provided an environment for six Democrats and two Republicans to discuss their platforms in front of potential voters months before the primary election.
Georgia gubernatorial race
What they're saying:
The forum was organized by local businessman Omar Ali.
"When you have a bipartisan approach, you can understand the community needs, and you can solve the issues when it comes to the community," Ali said, "because one thing that we care about the most is cost of living and ease of life."
Ali said candidates moved away from typical campaign rhetoric to engage in a roundtable discussion on issues directly impacting the community, such as affordability, small business, health care and education.
Attendees noted the setup of the forum—a shared table rather than a traditional debate stage—created a comfortable and respectful environment.
"It was almost like if you’re coming together for Thanksgiving, sitting down," attendee Henry Caslin said. "The environment was comfortable."
Deanthony Price said not every issue he wanted to hear was addressed by the candidates.
"I would have really loved to hear more on what they would do actually on day one that will overall improve our state agriculture," he said. "As a farmer, I really like to see leaders who put the state of Georgia first when it comes to our food systems."
Meanwhile, Ali described the forum as a success and plans to hold more forums ahead of the primary.
"Everyone came with a bipartisan approach in their questions, in their answers, and it was just refreshing not to see our candidates attacking each other and understanding that the most important thing is Georgia," he said.
Georgia gubernatorial primary
What's next:
With the primary election less than three months away, the field for Georgia's open gubernatorial seat remains crowded.
The primary is set for May 19, with a runoff date of June 16, if needed.
Georgia voter registration deadline
What you can do:
To vote in the primary, you must be registered to vote by April 20.
The Source: This is a FOX 5 Atlanta original report by Rey Llerena who attended the forum and spoke with the organizer and attendees.