In Georgia governor’s race, Democrats battle for second spot in likely runoff

Esteves has been the most willing to throw punches for much of the campaign, but now his broadsides are growing sharper. And his rivals are swiping back.

What makes the strategic shift so notable is the main target isn’t the front-runner, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. Instead, they’re increasingly targeting one another.

Polls show Bottoms is all but guaranteed to claim one of the two runoff slots. The rest of the field is scrambling to join her in a June head-to-head matchup.

For now, that battle is playing out among challengers who largely agree on the major issues. Each has pledged to oppose President Donald Trump’s agenda and his allies in Georgia.

All have embraced hallmark Democratic priorities such as expanding Medicaid, protecting voting rights, repealing anti-abortion laws, reversing gun rights expansions and boosting education funding.

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

What separates them are the nuances — their policy emphasis, their personal brands and their competing arguments about how to win a governor’s office Republicans have controlled since 2003.

Esteves has offered detailed policy proposals, including plans to expand prekindergarten and child care programs, as he positions himself as an architect of a multiracial, multigenerational coalition that can win statewide.

Duncan is pitching himself as a pragmatic candidate who could attract independents and disaffected Republicans in a general election, and touts ways he worked “hand in hand” with Democrats, including Stacey Abrams, when he was a Republican.

Former DeKalb County chief executive Michael Thurmond is leaning on his long resume in Georgia politics, his statewide victories as labor commissioner and his record fighting Trump in one of Georgia’s bluest counties.

And state Rep. Derrick Jackson is highlighting his military background and experience in the Legislature and private sector.

‘Not forgetting’

The sharpening contrasts were on display at back-to-back candidate forums in Stonecrest and Columbus last week, where the candidates clashed over their records.

At New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, Thurmond — known for running a sunny, optimistic campaign — delivered one of the first jabs, accusing Duncan of “eroding the right to vote” by backing a GOP-engineered election overhaul after Trump’s 2020 defeat.

Credit: Adam Beam/AJC

Credit: Adam Beam/AJC

“When you were escorting Donald Trump around Atlanta in a limousine, I was here in DeKalb County fighting Trump when he tried to intervene in our election the same way they did in Fulton County,” he said. “I love you, brother. I accept your apology, but I am not forgetting what you’ve done.”

Duncan responded by pointing to his well-documented break with Trump after the 2020 election and acrimonious divorce from the GOP.

“I’ve got the scars on my back to show it when I stood up loud and proud against Donald Trump,” he said, adding, “Doing the right thing will never be the wrong thing, even if it costs you your job.”

Esteves also darted back to Duncan’s record as lieutenant governor, invoking his support for permissive gun laws and the election rewrite.

“I’m glad Geoff is seeing the light,” he said. “But you don’t join a church and say the next month you’re going to be the senior pastor without having done the work.”

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Duncan shrugged off the criticism, laying into Esteves’ struggles in recent surveys.

“Jason must’ve woke up this morning and realized he’s still at 3% in the polls after 18 months of doing this,” he said. “If I wanted to get personal attacks and lies and half-truths, I would’ve stayed in the Republican Party and listened to Donald Trump’s BS.”

A late-stage scramble

The pointed rhetoric reflects a changing campaign. With qualifying complete and the field officially set, Bottoms’ rivals are racing to reach voters who haven’t yet tuned in.

Esteves has been the most aggressive so far. He launched the first major Democratic ad blitz earlier this month while working to undercut Duncan’s attempts to portray himself as a moderate.

“It’s time to address the elephant in the room: Geoff Duncan created the crises facing Georgians today, and his attempts to fool Democratic voters are downright insulting,” Esteves’ campaign said.

Duncan has framed his candidacy as Democrats’ best chance to win in a state where the party has struggled to capture the Governor’s Mansion for decades.

“If a Democrat doesn’t win the next governorship in this state,” he said, “Donald Trump will, by default, have an office in this Capitol.”

Bottoms, for her part, has largely avoided direct swipes. But she has drawn contrasts with her rivals — particularly on immigration, a subtle jab at Duncan, who supported immigration crackdowns while he was a Republican.

At a forum last month, she highlighted her decisions as Atlanta mayor during Trump’s first term to block the city jail from accepting federal immigration detainees and pull officers from a federal joint task force over policies prohibiting body cameras.

“I don’t have to talk about dreaming about fighting against Donald Trump,” she said. “I’ve done it, and I have won. And that is what I will do as governor.”

The mayor’s rivals face a risk if they continue to tread lightly. Ignore Bottoms’ rise, and they could help clear the path to an outright primary win.

Alan Holmes, a political consultant, said her opponents must start arguing that Bottoms’ one-term tenure as Atlanta mayor “was a disaster and that the clearest proof is that she didn’t even run again.”

“I’m glad to see the gloves finally coming off, because this primary had been boring enough to require coffee,” he said. “But sharper elbows alone are not enough.”

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC