Georgia’s gubernatorial candidates debate for first and last time

Republican Rick Jackson and Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms met Tuesday for their only confirmed debate before Georgia's Nov. 3 gubernatorial election, fielding 60-second answers on affordability, healthcare, and data center regulation. Jackson, a billionaire healthcare executive who spent over $100 million defeating a Trump-and-Kemp-endorsed primary rival, avoided mentioning Trump by name throughout, while Bottoms pressed him on his earlier pledge to be the president's 'favorite governor.'

The two diverged sharply on economics, with Jackson pushing income and property tax cuts and trade education, and Bottoms proposing an affordable housing trust fund, free community college, and a crackdown on corporate landlords. They found common ground on expanding Medicaid and holding insurers accountable, after 350,000 to over 500,000 Georgians lost coverage following federal policy changes.

Jackson, criticized for ties to a 600-acre Texas data center project he recently led, proposed letting local governments decide on new data center projects with tax incentives attached; Bottoms called for a moratorium on new development and a halt to Flock Camera installations. Jackson declined four other debate invitations that Bottoms accepted, making Tuesday's forum the race's only face-to-face matchup.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.