Democratic candidates for governor push to make it past the primary

“I‘m not just speaking about things that I hope to do,” she told the crowd. “I’ve had proven results in getting things done during my time as mayor of Atlanta, and I know a lot of this can be scaled statewide.”

The former city leader and the other candidates in the Democratic race for governor are making one last pitch to voters ahead of next week’s primary in hopes of earning enough support to push them into a runoff. Or, in Bottoms’ case, avoid one altogether.

Bottoms’ three closest challengers — former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, former state Sen. Jason Esteves and former DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond — are jockeying to emerge as the alternative to the former mayor, whose tenure at City Hall has already drawn attacks from Republicans also vying for state’s top political position.

A recent Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll shows Bottoms with 39% support among likely Democratic primary voters, far ahead of Thurmond at 10%, Esteves at 8% and Duncan at 7%, all of whom are within the margin of error from each other.

With roughly a third of voters undecided, Bottoms’ rivals remain optimistic that carving out distinct political identities could be enough to secure a spot in a runoff.

Last week, at the colorful Sebastian Pintxos Bar — a popular tapas and happy-hour destination for young professionals in Midtown Atlanta — Esteves cast himself as a next-generation Democrat focused on public education, healthcare access and economic opportunity.

Credit: Riley Bunch/riley.bunch@ajc.com

Credit: Riley Bunch/riley.bunch@ajc.com

“I’m running because I’m tired of people working harder than ever and still struggling to get by,” he told the crowd. “That’s the result of old politics and politicians who keep making promises they fail to deliver.”

His message stands in sharp contrast to Thurmond’s, which leans heavily on experience. Thurmond positions himself as a seasoned leader with a long record in state and local government, arguing that Democrats need an experienced executive who can win beyond the party’s base.

The longtime county official told the AJC that his record would push him ahead of Bottoms in a potential runoff.

“The best way to know what a politician will do is to look at what he or she has already done,” he said.

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Each Democratic candidates faces their own challenges, but arguably no one in the race has had to overcome as much as Duncan, the former Republican and whose split with the party over President Donald Trump led him on a path to become Democrat.

Duncan is appealing to Democrats and swing voters who see his party switch as a sign of political courage and believe he offers the strongest general-election contrast.

“Are there people who have heartburn in the Democratic Party with me switching parties? Absolutely, and I respect that,” Duncan said during a fireside chat with students at Georgia State University.

“But that’s not the consensus I hear night after night,” he said. “What I get is: ‘Thanks for being on this journey. How do we win?’”

What voters want to know

Ryan Sinclair, a 37-year-old postal worker, was among the dozens of voters who gathered in a meeting room at the Columbus library to hear from Bottoms while she visited Muscogee County. He said he is worried about keeping up with inflation and being able to purchase a home.

“Right now, it feels like you’re making money, but your money is not even going anywhere — even as far as it was just four years ago,” he said.

For Suzanne Johnson, 62, conversations over a $5 billion data center campus potentially being brought to the area was top of mind.

“My concern is with the data centers, it seems like (conversations) have been happening, and we don’t get a vote — it’s like we almost don’t have a say with what’s going on,” she said. The retiree and disabled veteran pointed to concerns of the facility’s water consumption and impact on utility costs.

“It seems to me that it’s no benefit to us as the people who will end up footing the bill,” Johnson said.

In the final weeks ahead of the primary, voters are questioning candidates about their records, too.

At Georgia State University, Duncan was asked how he reconciles his past support for Georgia’s abortion restrictions with his current embrace of reproductive rights as a Democratic candidate for governor.

Credit: (Ben Gray for the AJC)

Credit: (Ben Gray for the AJC)

The former lieutenant governor told the crowd he was flat-out wrong to support the measure and pledged to sign an executive order protecting doctors who provide abortions and said he would push lawmakers to repeal Georgia’s six-week ban.

And Bottoms is still navigating questions about her missteps as mayor. Minutes before she cast her ballot during early voting at the Southwest Arts Center in South Fulton, she described 2020 as a tumultuous year for all Georgia residents, not just local leaders forced to make tough decisions.

Speaking to voters, Bottoms underscored the momentum behind her bid and optimism surrounding Democrat’s chances of winning against a Republican in the November general election.

“We’ve been slowly chipping away,” she said of the party’s recent successes in last year’s Public Service Commission elections. “But we have a really good opportunity this election to flip the governor’s seat.”

The recent U.S. Supreme Court rollback of the Voting Rights Act, setting the stage for Republican-led redistricting, is a new battlefront for Democrats as they head into the primary.

On the trail, candidates are stressing the high stakes of the November election and making the case why they’d be the best person to stop Georgia’s Republican-majority State Legislature from redrawing Georgia’s congressional and legislative lines.

If elected, Esteves pledged to run for two terms — a promise that Bottoms has not made after deciding against running for reelection as mayor.

“The best way we can combat that is by having a governor that’s going to fight back against every single effort and is going to oversee the redistricting process over the next eight years,” Esteves said at his Midtown event.

Staff writer Greg Bluestein contributed to this report.