Georgia Debate Series Ready To Go Virtual

From the Georgia Recorder: By John McCosh - April 28, 2020

After years of originating its Georgia candidate debate series at the Georgia Public Broadcasting studios in Atlanta, the Atlanta Press Club is taking its signature election event online for the upcoming primary election.

The virtual event is set to include candidates for U.S. Senate and the hotly contested race to replace outgoing Republican Congressman Rob Woodall in Georgia’s 7th District. Candidates looking to succeed Georgia GOP Rep. Doug Collins in the 9th Congressional District are also set to face off. U.S. Rep. David Scott drew challengers from both parties for his District 13 seat who are expected at the virtual debate.

The Atlanta Press Club Loudermilk-Young Debate Series is scheduled to take place over two days, on Sunday, May 3 and Monday, May 4.

All debates will take place live via video streaming in partnership with Georgia Public Broadcasting. The debates will be available for viewers to watch online live or on demand via Facebook at www.fb.com/TheAtlantaPressClub and GPB.org.

Candidates who qualify with the Georgia Secretary of State’s office to have their name on the ballot are invited to participate in the debates.

Georgia Recorder journalist Stanley Dunlap is set to ask questions of Georgia Public Service Commission District 4 candidates with Energy Wire reporter Kristi Swartz, and the Georgia Recorder’s Ross Williams is set to join WSB Radio’s Veronica Waters for the Congressional District 13 debate.

Other journalists scheduled to ask questions at the debate are also regulars at the Statehouse, including the Atlanta Journal Constitution’s Greg Bluestein, the Capitol Beat’s Dave Williams, CNHI News Service’s Riley Bunch and GPB’s Bill Nigut.

The debates are scheduled to start Sunday morning at 9:30 a.m. and are available via livestream at gpb.org and many are on GPB TV.

For more than 20 years, the Atlanta Press Club, in partnership with Georgia Public Broadcasting, has organized the premier political debates in the state of Georgia.

In 2011 R. Charles “Charlie” Loudermilk, founder of Aaron’s Inc., pledged $1 million to permanently endow the club’s series of political debates during every election year in Georgia. In honor of Loudermilk’s close friendship with former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young, the debates are named the Atlanta Press Club’s Loudermilk-Young Debate Series.

This story was originally published by the Georgia Recorder. For more stories from the Georgia Recorder, visit GeorgiaRecorder.com.