Keisha Lance Bottoms took the debate stage alone in Macon in September after Republican opponent Rick Jackson declined to participate, giving the Democratic nominee a solo opportunity to speak directly to Georgia voters.
The event was the first scheduled statewide debate of the 2026 Georgia governor’s race. Bottoms used the televised and streamed forum to discuss healthcare, education and community representation.
The moment also carries historic weight. If elected, Bottoms would become Georgia’s first woman governor and the first Black woman to serve as governor anywhere in the United States. The Center for American Women and Politics says no Black woman has previously served as a U.S. governor.
Keisha Lance Bottoms Takes the Macon Debate Stage Alone
Bottoms attended the Macon forum after Jackson declined the invitation. She had called for multiple statewide debates, saying voters should have opportunities to hear from both candidates and compare their positions directly.
Speaking before the event, Bottoms said debates give voters a chance to hear candidates explain their ideas in real time. She also pointed to the broadcast and streaming format as a way for people across Georgia to hear her message.
“I want the middle Georgia voters to know all of the voters in Georgia, to know that I’ve been listening,” Bottoms said.
She added that she wanted Georgia to have better healthcare, better education and a stronger voice for communities.
Rick Jackson Declines the Georgia Governor Debate
Jackson defended his decision not to attend the Macon debate, saying his campaign was focused on speaking directly with Georgians. He has agreed to only one joint appearance with Bottoms so far, an October town hall in Atlanta.
The disagreement over debates has become an issue in the governor’s race. Bottoms’ campaign has pushed for six statewide debates, while Jackson’s campaign has argued that one joint town hall would be more useful.
Jackson’s campaign has maintained that its strategy is centered on grassroots outreach across Georgia. Meanwhile, Bottoms has continued to argue that voters should have more opportunities to hear both candidates discuss the issues side by side.
Bottoms Focuses on Healthcare and Education
Before the Macon event, Bottoms released a campaign advertisement aimed at Jackson. The ad accused him of profiting from problems in the healthcare system, a claim made by her campaign during the race.
Bottoms has made healthcare and education central parts of her message to voters. She also highlighted community representation as another issue she wants to address if elected.
Her campaign has framed the debate issue around voter access to information. Bottoms has argued that multiple debates would allow Georgians to hear candidates answer questions directly rather than relying only on campaign advertisements and speeches.
Why Bottoms’ Georgia Governor Campaign Is Historic
The 2026 race has a significance that goes beyond the two candidates. Georgia has never elected a woman governor, and no Black woman has served as governor in the United States.
That makes Bottoms’ campaign a potential first on two levels. If she wins, she would become both Georgia’s first woman governor and the first Black woman governor in U.S. history, according to the Center for American Women and Politics.
Bottoms already has experience in Georgia politics. She served as Atlanta’s mayor from 2018 to 2022 before becoming a candidate for governor. Her current campaign therefore places a former major-city mayor at the center of a statewide race with national historical significance.
What the Georgia Governor Polls Showed
A Rasmussen Reports survey cited by FOX 5 before the Macon debate found Jackson at 48% among likely Georgia voters, compared with 45% for Bottoms. Another 7% were undecided. The survey of 1,019 likely voters had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
Those numbers were a snapshot of the race at the time of the survey, not a prediction of the election result. Later polling reported by FOX 5 also showed a very close contest, with a YouGov survey conducted September 15–18 putting Jackson at 45% and Bottoms at 44%, with 9% undecided.
The polling also showed differences among demographic groups. In the Rasmussen survey, Bottoms had 77% support among Black voters compared with 18% for Jackson, while Jackson led among white voters. These figures describe the surveyed population and should not be treated as a forecast of the final result.
More Georgia Debates Are Still Being Discussed
The Macon appearance was one of several debates and forums Bottoms had sought during the campaign. Her campaign announced commitments to six potential debate events across Atlanta, Macon and Savannah, including an Atlanta Press Club debate scheduled for October 12.
Jackson, however, has not agreed to the full schedule. His campaign has said he plans to focus on grassroots outreach and has committed to an October town hall appearance with Bottoms. The specific arrangements for that town hall were still being finalized in the reporting available at the time.
For Bottoms, the Macon debate offered a chance to speak directly to voters without her opponent sharing the stage. More broadly, her campaign remains part of a historic 2026 election cycle in which Georgia could elect its first woman governor and the United States could see its first Black woman governor.
