Georgia governor debate: Bottoms, Jackson clash over health care, data centers

ATLANTA - Democratic candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms and Republican opponent Rick Jackson met at Assembly Studios in Doraville on Tuesday night for their only statewide televised town hall debate.

Election security

What they're saying:

Candidates offered sharply contrasting visions for voting access and election oversight during an exchange on election integrity. 

Bottoms criticized national Republican messaging and promoted her proposed Johnson Lewis Voting Rights Act for Georgia, which would make Election Day a state holiday, expand voting hours and permit verified student campus IDs for registration. She also called for eliminating the State Election Board and increasing security for poll workers.

Jackson defended Georgia's existing election framework passed under Gov. Brian Kemp, describing it as "easy to vote and hard to cheat." He stated he does not support Department of Justice oversight in upcoming elections and firmly denied claims from Bottoms that he had previously called for deploying the National Guard.

LIVE BLOG: Georgia gubernatorial debate

Georgia data centers

What they're saying:

Energy and environmental policies took center stage as candidates addressed the rapid growth of data centers across Georgia. Bottoms proposed an immediate statewide moratorium on new data center construction and argued that eminent domain should only be used in extreme cases. She also questioned Jackson's business ties to out-of-state development projects.

Jackson rejected a blanket moratorium and outlined a three-part test for approving future developments: community support, strict Environmental Protection Agency oversight, and direct tax or utility relief for local residents. He denied holding investments in four data center operations and pointed to Bottoms' mayoral record, alleging she approved municipal incentives for Atlanta facilities without community safeguards.

Healthcare and Medicaid expansion

What they're saying:

Healthcare coverage dominated another key segment of the debate as candidates responded to questions about Medicaid expansion and insurance denials. Bottoms called Medicaid expansion a "day-one priority" to cover an estimated 300,000 uninsured Georgians and proposed revoking state licenses for health insurers that repeatedly deny coverage. She added that patients should be notified if artificial intelligence is used in claim reviews.

Jackson stated he also supports expanding Medicaid, provided it does not risk $4.5 billion in existing federal funding. To lower costs, he proposed state-level prescription drug negotiations, price transparency, patient-controlled digital health records, and regulatory action against insurers that delay payments or use blanket administrative denials.

Minimum wage and economic growth

What they're saying:

Addressing cost-of-living concerns, candidates offered different solutions for helping working families afford basic expenses. Bottoms advocated for raising the state minimum wage to $15 an hour, establishing a statewide affordable housing trust fund, and creating tuition-free community and technical colleges.

Jackson focused on workforce development and trade programs, proposing high school and adult training in agriculture, plumbing, and electrical work through technical schools to help residents secure jobs paying $25 an hour or more. He argued that inflation in Atlanta outpaced national trends during Bottoms' time as mayor.