The Atlanta Press Club is gearing up for its biggest debate year yet. From April 26-28, the Loudermilk-Young debate series will bring almost 85 candidates, ranging from governor hopefuls to the Public Service Commission, on the stage for 18 different primary election debates.
“We’re like a little factory over three days,” Atlanta Press Club past president and debate logistics coordinator Lauri Strauss said.
Each of the 18 debates will air in 30-minute and half-hour segments on Georgia Public Broadcasting or YouTube, where it will remain “on demand” for voters to watch anytime. The format is simple: each round, local journalists will act as panelists and ask each candidate a question. The candidate will then have 60 seconds to answer, with 30 seconds set aside for rebuttal.
“We really try to make (the debates) what is most informative for voters,” Strauss said. The Atlanta Press Club has hosted the debates for 30 years, and recently received grants from the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation and Robert Charles Loudermilk Sr. Foundation to keep the televised event going.
The debate format is fast-paced and strictly focused on informing voters. But this year it’s a bigger lineup than ever before. The debates will include candidates for the U.S. Senate, Governor, Secretary of State, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, Public Service Commissioner, and U.S. Congressional Districts one, ten, eleven and thirteen.
“Because so many races have multiple candidates on the ballot, this definitely will be the most candidates that we are hosting in one election cycle,” Strauss said.
It’s an unusually packed year. With Governor Brian Kemp finishing out his term, Republicans and Democrats alike are vying for the state’s top seat. Several Republican candidates are also aiming to unseat incumbent Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff.
In total, there are 85 candidates eligible to attend the debates – the press club invites everybody who will be on the ballot – and so far, most have already committed. Strauss said most of the candidates “seem to value and appreciate” the invite.
She credits it with a desire to “get the real facts out there about who they are” in an era of misinformation. But the debates are ultimately about informing voters. The format gives bite-sized answers, and the video can be streamed anytime.
“This is a very important public service, because voters tend to hear from some of the top candidates running for office, but it’s sometimes hard to know who all the candidates that are going to be on the ballot are,” Strauss said.
She continued, “This is an opportunity for them to hear from everyone that’s going to be on their ballot so they can make an informed decision before they have to vote.”
The Atlanta Press Club Loudermilk-Yound Debate Series will kick off at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, April 26. Early voting in the primary begins April 27 and runs through May 15, with the general primary election on May 19, and several runoff elections expected afterward.
Editor’s Note: Maria Saporta co-chairs the Atlanta Press Club Debate Series.
