Who Are the Democrats Running for Governor in Georgia?

Summary

Andy Beshear Podcast – Episode 52: Who Are the Democrats Running for Governor in Georgia?

Date: March 12, 2026
Host: Andy Beshear
Guests: Keisha Lance Bottoms, Jeff Duncan, Mike Thurmond, Jason Estevez
Theme:
A deep dive conversation with all four leading Democratic candidates running for Governor of Georgia in 2026. Andy Beshear hosts a roundtable, bringing out each candidate’s vision, background, policy priorities, and their arguments for why they are best equipped to flip Georgia’s governorship blue.

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Episode Overview

This episode brings together the major Democratic contenders for Georgia’s 2026 gubernatorial race. It spotlights their backgrounds, motivations, and policy visions to address Georgia’s most pressing challenges: healthcare, affordability, education, and the state’s fractured political environment. Beshear guides unscripted, candid discussions meant to help listeners understand the stakes and choices in one of the nation’s most-watched races.

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Keisha Lance Bottoms: Proven Executive Leadership

Background and Approach to Leadership

• [03:07] Experience as Atlanta Mayor:
  • Led city through crises during the Trump administration and the pandemic.
  • Emphasizes learning to solve problems independently when federal support was absent.
  • Financial accomplishments: Left $180 million in the bank; balanced budgets for four years; did not raise property taxes or lay off staff.
  • Implemented a child savings account program, a $28 million affordable housing trust fund, and funds for technical training.

“It was the first time...so many cities...could not look to Washington, D.C. for any type of support. And we were able to figure it out in a way that really shored up our communities.” (Keisha Lance Bottoms, 03:26)

Why Georgia Can Go Blue

• [05:13] Points to momentum from Georgia’s two Democratic U.S. senators.
• Believes women and Black women can win statewide.
• Will focus on field work: "We're going to knock on the doors, we're going to call on the telephone… We're going to tell them why my being elected governor will make their lives better."
• Core issues: affordability, safe communities, jobs, and dignity for families.

Affordable/Workforce Housing Vision

• [07:23] Outlines Atlanta’s large-scale development projects and the affordable housing trust fund as models for statewide replication.
• Calls for strategic involvement of builders, planners, municipal leaders, and the state to address housing needs, especially against corporate landlord buyouts.

“We took part of those proceeds, created an affordable housing trust fund...so that...we could help offset housing costs...But it also allowed us to create and or preserve 7,000 units of affordable housing.” (Keisha Lance Bottoms, 07:23)

Medicaid Expansion and Healthcare

• [11:17] Labels Georgia’s refusal to expand Medicaid a “disgrace.”
• Cites hospital closures and lack of care, especially in rural areas.
• First priority as governor: expand Medicaid to cover 300,000+ uninsured Georgians and stabilize rural hospitals.

“Even if you aren’t eligible for Medicaid...Think about rural hospitals closing...Think about birthing centers. Think about ICU closing...God forbid that you have a medical emergency or an accident and you need to get to a hospital, it could take nearly an hour...” (Keisha Lance Bottoms, 11:17)

Distinction in the Primary

• [13:29] Emphasizes her record against the Trump administration and readiness for tough fights.
• Specific policy pledges: eliminate state income taxes for teachers, free community/technical college, world-class status for Georgia.
• Encourages listeners to support her campaign and vote in the primary.

Personal Side

• [17:16] Discusses her forthcoming memoir, The Rough Side of the Mountain, sharing lessons from her family’s struggles and resilience.

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Jeff Duncan: Crossing the Divide for Reform

Unique Political Journey

• [20:01] Former Republican Georgia Lieutenant Governor, now Democratic gubernatorial candidate.
• Cites “three urgent crises”: affordability, healthcare, and the Donald Trump crisis.
• Transitioned parties because “loving your neighbor” in Republican politics came with too many “asterisk marks,” especially when voters didn’t look, act, or vote a certain way.

“I'm wired to solve problems, not pick fights...They want adults in the room to show up, to put good ideas and bad ideas on the scales and figure out what's the best solution...” (Jeff Duncan, 24:56)

Background in Baseball and Business

• [21:14] Shares lessons from a professional baseball career: tenacity, grit, dealing with failure, self-correction, and stamina—skills he says are vital for governing.

Close-Call Elections and Bipartisan Appeal

• [24:12] Noted wins by razor-thin margins, door-to-door campaigning, and personal phone calls.
• Sees a growing coalition of moderate Democrats, Independents, and disaffected Republicans.

On Donald Trump and Political Integrity

• [26:02] Stood up to Trump’s election denial (“Doing the right thing will never be the wrong thing”).
• Switched parties after feeling the GOP left its values behind.
• Sees Georgia as “tip of the spear” for national transformation.

Policy Priorities

Affordability

• [29:19] Wants to address poverty cycle through higher investment in child care (CAPS), anti-poverty programs (TANF), and economic development across all counties.

Healthcare

• [30:26] Medicaid expansion as a non-negotiable; claims all alternatives have “failed,” and only expansion can stabilize rural hospitals and economies.

“As a former Republican that has literally looked under every rock to try to improve healthcare in Georgia, the only way we can do it in this environment is to expand Medicaid. Republicans are wrong on this issue. They know they're wrong.” (Jeff Duncan, 30:26)

The “Donald Trump Crisis”

• [32:50] Candidly calls Trump’s influence “one of the worst things to ever happen in this country,” shifting the conversation away from governing to chaos and extremism.

Why Duncan?

• [33:58] Stresses moderate, coalition-building approach and real electability in general election.
• “Democrats are ready to win...you've got to win more than the base.”
• [36:07] Campaign: duncanforgeorgia.com | Twitter: @JeffDuncanGA

Light-hearted Moment

• [36:40] Beshear asks how many innings Duncan could pitch in a hypothetical Governors' Baseball Game. Answer: “Three solid innings.”

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Mike Thurmond: The Fixer and History-Maker

Public Service Track Record

• [38:14] Nicknamed “Georgia’s fixer” for reforming failing school systems and counties (stabilized DeKalb County Schools’ finances and accreditation).
• Deep working-class roots: one of nine children, learned hard work and importance of education early.

“Government should work for the people who are paying the taxes and casting the vote. And I've always put people before politics.” (Mike Thurmond, 38:35)

Historic Firsts

• [39:16] First Black legislator from Athens since Reconstruction.
• Only Black legislator elected from a majority white southeast district at the time, showing broad coalition-building potential.

Healthcare and Medicaid

• [40:42] Frames Georgia’s healthcare metrics as “a disgrace.”
• Pledges to build statewide, bipartisan support for Medicaid expansion.
• Would reallocate misused Medicaid work-readiness program funds and budget surplus to expand coverage and save rural hospitals.

“Access to affordable healthcare is not a black thing. It's not a white thing. Frankly, it's not a Republican or a Democratic thing. It's the right thing to do.” (Mike Thurmond, 41:21)

Why He Can Win

• [44:07] Only African American non-incumbent statewide official (Labor Commissioner) in Georgia history.
• Won in both Democratic and Republican wave years; deep rural Georgia roots.

Georgia’s History and Lessons for Leadership

• [45:30] Author of three books on Georgia’s diverse, inclusive past.
• Highlights James Oglethorpe: The Father of Georgia, tracing the state’s anti-slavery origins and how learning from history can fuel progress.
• “If you open yourself up to new ideas, to learning, to engaging, then you can move from where you are...He made this journey from being a slave trader to becoming one of the first abolitionists on the planet.”

Closing Vision

• [47:54] Argues Georgia is a national bellwether for battling MAGA extremism and reviving the American Dream.
• Shares a personal story: from rural Georgia’s “dirty road” to the governor’s mansion—proof anything is possible.
• [50:32] Campaign: mikethermond.com

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Jason Estevez: The Educator and Policy-Maker

Education Roots and Advocacy

• [52:38] Former State Senator, ex-public school teacher, and School Board Chair for Atlanta Public Schools.
• Under his leadership, Atlanta posted record graduation rates and invested over $100 million in staff pay hikes and stipends.
• Family man: husband, two children, and son of Cuban immigrants.

Medicaid and Healthcare Reform

• [53:48] Urges urgent Medicaid expansion for 1 million uninsured, calling out $30 billion in lost federal funds due to Republican inaction.
• Wife is a nurse practitioner: brings first-hand perspective on Georgia’s health crisis.

Quote

“Because of that failure in leadership, Georgia has lost out on $30 billion in federal funding. That's the equivalent of about $7,000 per taxpayer in the state of Georgia.” (Jason Estevez, 54:25)

Bold Education Vision

• [55:48] Proposes universal childcare: addresses early literacy, working parents’ needs, and the state’s severe reading crisis.
• Calls for fully funding public schools, restoring teacher power, comprehensive mental health supports, career training, and free technical college.

Notable Moment

• [58:50] On comparing classroom and legislature:
  • “Nothing is harder than middle school social studies. But I will tell you that those legislators sometimes act like middle schoolers.”

Family, Caregiving, and Personal Motivation

• [59:16] Cared for his mother during late-stage Alzheimer’s.
• First-hand experience with Georgia’s “broken, complicated” long-term care system; vows to strengthen supports for caregivers and seniors.

Addressing Affordability

• [61:37] Platform focuses on “health, wealth, and opportunity”:
  • Tackling housing crisis through a statewide affordable housing trust fund, regulating corporate homebuyers, streamlining regulations.
  • Opposes massive tax breaks to corporations, especially data centers (“Georgia this year…give away $2 billion in tax giveaways…that amounts to about $500 per Georgian taxpayer.”)
  • Holding utilities accountable for rising bills.

The Stakes and the Coalition to Win

• [64:21] Sees Georgia as the country’s essential “battleground”—compares his broad coalition approach and lived experience as strengths:
  • “...Democrats have been telling people what they should be voting against. I'm here to tell you what Georgians should be voting for.”
  • Campaign: jasonestevez.com | Follow: Jason Estevez on social media

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Keisha Lance Bottoms:
  • “[People] want to be able to raise their families with dignity and feel as if their leaders are working on their behalf and not against their best interests.” (05:13)
• Jeff Duncan:
  • “Doing the right thing will never be the wrong thing.” (26:02)
  • “Democrats are ready to win…second place trophies aren’t going to solve any of the problems that everybody listening here wants to solve.” (33:58)
• Mike Thurmond:
  • “Sometimes if you want to build a bridge, you have to be the bridge.” (44:07)
  • “Access to affordable health care...is the right thing to do.” (41:21)
• Jason Estevez:
  • “Nothing is harder than middle school social studies. But I will tell you that those legislators sometimes act like middle schoolers.” (58:50)
  • “I have a vision for the future of the state that gives people something to vote for, not just something to vote against.” (64:21)

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Key Timestamps

• Keisha Lance Bottoms
  • Leadership & Atlanta’s Fiscal Accomplishments: [03:07–04:59]
  • Affordable Housing Vision: [07:23–10:32]
  • Medicaid Expansion: [11:17–13:13]
  • Case for Her Candidacy: [13:29–17:06]
• Jeff Duncan
  • Baseball & Business Background: [21:14–23:59]
  • Crossover Politics & Trump: [26:02–27:23]
  • Policy Solutions: [29:19–32:42]
  • Electability Discussion: [33:58–36:07]
• Mike Thurmond
  • “Fixer” Credibility: [38:14–39:16]
  • Historic Firsts and Coalition: [39:16–40:21]
  • Medicaid/Healthcare: [40:42–43:45]
  • History Book Discussion: [45:30–47:16]
• Jason Estevez
  • Medicaid/Healthcare Stance: [53:48–55:17]
  • Education Vision: [55:48–58:40]
  • Personal Story/Caregiving: [59:16–61:20]
  • Housing & Affordability: [61:37–63:57]
  • Campaign Pitch/Candidate Distinction: [64:21–66:10]

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Summary Table: Where the Candidates Stand

| Candidate | Healthcare | Affordability/Housing | Education | Distinction | |-----------------------|----------------------|-----------------------------|---------------------------|-------------------------------------------------| | Keisha Lance Bottoms | Medicaid expansion | Statewide affordable housing| Free community college, no teacher tax | Executive experience, “tough fighter” | | Jeff Duncan | Medicaid expansion | Poverty, child care, all-county devt | Early childhood, moderate reforms | Crossed party lines, pragmatic centrist | | Mike Thurmond | Medicaid expansion | Use surplus, rural focus | Invest in K–12 | Statewide, rural, and diverse coalition builder | | Jason Estevez | Medicaid expansion | Housing trust fund, regulate corps | Universal childcare, technical college | Teacher, policymaker, diverse representation |

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Final Thoughts

Each candidate offers a compelling narrative for Democratic voters and all Georgians—leveraging personal stories, executive chops, historical perspective, and promises for broad-based, pragmatic reform. While backgrounds and policy nuances differ, there is a striking consensus: the next governor must fix healthcare, make Georgia affordable, transform education, and restore a unifying, future-oriented vision for the state.

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For more information on the campaigns:

• Keisha Lance Bottoms: keishaforgovernor.com
• Jeff Duncan: duncanforgeorgia.com
• Mike Thurmond: mikethermond.com
• Jason Estevez: jasonestevez.com

(All quotes, timestamps, and summaries reflect content from the podcast’s core interviews. Intro/ads/outro segments omitted.)

Transcript

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[Andy Beshear]

Welcome to the Andy beshear podcast episode 52. That's right, we have made it a full year and we have so much more to do. Remember, you can download us wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to us on the Progress Channel from Sirius XM every Saturday morning at 11am you can get us to through the Sirius XM app or you can follow us on YouTube @andy Beshear Podcast. Please give us a subscribe and leave a comment in the comment section. Today we have an action packed all interview version of the podcast and a longer version is available on YouTube and the downloadable versions of the podcast. You're going to hear about the candidates for Georgia Governor in this version of season two for prime for 2026. This is one of the most followed elections in the country and we have all of the major candidates. Each one has an incredible record of accomplishment and let me tell you, this is one of the best fields of primary candidates that I have ever seen. You're going to hear about their plans, you're going to hear about their hopes. You're going to hear about why each of them thinks that they should be the candidate. And I encourage you to involved to listen to these candidates and in a primary to support whoever you want to. But I think whichever of them comes out is going to make a great general election candidate that might just flip the Georgia Governor seat blue. So let's get to it. Our next guest on the Andy Beshear Podcast is former Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. She is a proven fighter with battle tested executive experience. She's running for Governor of Georgia to deliver for working families and bring steady leadership to Georgia in the midst of uncertainty and chaos coming from Washington. As governor, she will bring the strong leadership that Georgia needs during these tumultuous times. She'll fight to expand Medicaid so 300,000 Georgians can get the healthcare coverage they need and to prevent more hospitals, especially in rural communities, from shutting their doors. She'll work to eliminate income taxes for teachers, crack down on corporate landlords that are buying up houses and making it harder for families to buy a home or afford rent. And she will invest in education so our children will have better pathways to success through career training or college. Mayor, thanks for joining the podcast.

[Keisha Lance Bottoms]

Thank you, Governor, for having me.

[Andy Beshear]

I think about the time that you served as mayor, leading you, your city through crisis after crisis. Tell us how that's forged your executive leadership and how that would impact how you would lead Georgia as governor.

[Keisha Lance Bottoms]

Well, I served as mayor under the first Trump administration, so there were so many things, as you know, that didn't go as I would have scripted it. But I can tell you those, those tough times made me a much stronger leader. I remember having a conversation with our team in the midst of the pandemic saying God bless the child who's got its own, got his own. And, you know, just sharing with them the need for us to figure it out. It was the first time in recent history, I think, that so many cities across this country could not look to Washington, D.C. for any type of support. And we were able to figure out it out in a way that really shored up our communities. And so it's that same thought process that, God willing, when I'm elected governor of this state, that I will take into the governor's office, making sure we're making decisions that allow us to do things like leave $180 million in the bank, as I did when I was mayor of Atlanta four years a balance budgets. We didn't raise property taxes. We didn't lay off student employees. We created a child savings account for kids across the City, created a $28 million affordable housing trust fund, put money towards technical training, and the list goes on. So I'm really proud of all we accomplished and look forward to taking those lessons into my term as governor.

[Andy Beshear]

Georgia has two Democratic U.S. senators convince our listeners that it's time for a Democratic governor, that it is possible this cycle.

[Keisha Lance Bottoms]

Well, Governor, you have shown us what's possible, especially in the South. And I've been asked if a woman can win and especially if a black woman can win in Georgia. And the answer is absolutely yes. We know that we've got to get on the ground, continue to give people a reason to support our campaign. It means we're not going to take any group for granted. We're going to cover all the bases. We're going to knock on the doors, we're going to call on the telephone for people my my kids age. We're going to put it up on TikTok and Instagram and social media and YouTube. And we're going to tell them why my being elected governor will make the their lives better. People are tired of the talk. Talk is cheap. People are hurting, not just across Georgia, but in Kentucky and across this country. Affordability is not a hoax. People are saying they can't afford to pay their rent and their house notes. Groceries are too high, utility bills are astronomical. And people want better paying jobs, safe communities. And I know that transcends party line, that transcends racial lines, it transcends gender lines. Everybody wants the same thing. They want to be able to raise their families with dignity and feel as if their leaders are working on their behalf and not against their best interests and the best interests of their families and communities.

[John Rabinowitz]

Mayor, this is John Rabinowitz. It's a pleasure to meet you. I love reading about your background and it's so impressive what you've accomplished and done and excited to talk to you today. This is like a broken record. I feel like we've talked a lot about affordability with legislators that we have on the podcast and knowing that even the city of Atlanta is a really expensive place. How do you tell people just graduating from college that they're going to be able to afford a home or afford the rent? What is your plan if you go in as governor to help those families out?

[Keisha Lance Bottoms]

Well, and nice to meet you as well. And I can tell you I've got a 23 year old that I am eagerly anticipating his full launch about, let's put it that way. And part of it has to do with, with making sure one, that we are able to provide, provide an affordable housing stock in the state of Georgia. And when we talk about affordable housing, I remember years ago, Ambassador Andrew Young telling me to stop using the word affordable housing and refer to it as workforce housing. Because that's really what we're talking about. We're talking about people who may be making average wages, but they still want to live indignity in great communities. So that means we've got to stand in the gap as leaders. What we did in the city of Atlanta was create an affordable housing trust fund. So we were able to close the largest real estate transaction in the history of the southeastern United States. If you've ever watched an Atlanta Falcons game or if you watch the super bowl, right outside the Mercedes Benz stadium is now development called Centennial Yards. What we did was combine commerce with compassion. We took part of those proceeds, created an affordable housing trust fund so that one we could help offset housing costs. Rising property tax taxes for people across the city. But it also allowed us to create and or preserve 7,000 units of affordable housing. That is something that can be scaled statewide. Georgia Tech has done a study that says in Coastal Georgia, by 2030, there's going to be a need for 30,000 additional homes. It also means, as the state, we can invest in things like infrastructure to make it easier for builders. We can invest in helping, making sure that smaller municipalities and communities have the resources that they need, whether it's in their planning department or their zoning department, to make sure that they can help fill in these gaps and they aren't carrying the burden alone. And then, just lastly, there's a lot of conversations around corporate entities buying up entire communities. I recently had a conversation with a group of home builders, the Home Builders association, and they said, to the extent the state takes an all or nothing approach, we're going to have to take an all or nothing approach in opposing whatever the state says needs to be done. So it's going to require that everybody have a seat at the table, whether it's developers, whether it's municipal leaders, whether it's corporate landlords. And we talk about how we can thoughtfully make sure that there's a housing stock available and the state's giving its fair share to make it possible for people to be able to build homes and at an affordable price, and afford homes at an affordable price.

[Andy Beshear]

One of the most compelling things about your platform that jumped out to me is the expansion of Medicaid. I got to watch in real time when my dad was governor and expanded Medicaid and 600,000 Kentuckians got healthcare coverage for the first time. I met a woman who had had cancer and hadn't been able to get treatments then be able to get them and to be alive years later. And then I became governor and the pandemic hit, and our rural hospitals were absolutely critical to saving lives during that period. So talk a little bit about what expanded Medicaid could mean for Georgia, both in terms of healthcare access, but also I think it does amazing things for rural economies.

[Keisha Lance Bottoms]

Yeah, Governor, it really is a disgrace that we haven't expanded Medicaid in this state. We won nine states that have not expanded Medicaid. And even before the big, big ugly bill, there were 300,000 Georgians who didn't have access to Medicaid. We left, I believe it was $700 million on the table. We created this alternate system that has been an epic failure and has cost the state millions. And what I've explained to people, even if you aren't eligible for Medicaid or in need of Medicaid. Think about rural hospitals closing across our state, which there have been nearly a dozen that have close across the state, potentially more. Think about birthing centers. Think about ICU closing. And I've said if you're even passing through Georgia on your way to Disney World in Orlando, you are on one of these interstates that's going to go through one of these rural communities. And God forbid that you have a medical emergency or an accident and you need to get to a hospital, it could take nearly an hour for you to get to the closest hospital. So it's an issue that we should all care about, and it's a bipartisan issue. At the point you hear Marjorie Taylor Greene talking about health care, you got to know that Republicans care about health care, too. And so much of what happens in the state, as you know all too well, is driven by the agenda of the governor. So we've had a governor who has said for nearly the past eight years that he absolutely doesn't want to expand Medicaid. And it will be the first thing on my agenda to get the ball rolling to make sure it's expanded in this state.

[Andy Beshear]

You were in a primary. I went through a real competitive primary in my first race for governor. Tell our listeners why you should be the pick, why they should be interested in a primary in Georgia and of course, how they can follow your campaign.

[Keisha Lance Bottoms]

Well, I am very encouraged by our poll numbers. I am 30% ahead of nearly 30% ahead of our nearest competitor. We have a runoff system in Georgia. If I don't get 50% plus one, we will go into a runoff. And I would encourage people to invest in our primary because on the Republican side, you are already seeing them come together to change their rules, surprise, surprise, or for the party to weigh in on the primary. So they are already mobilizing in a way that we haven't done so yet. In addition to that, I truly believe that I am the best candidate and best suited to lead this state, especially at this time. I went up against the Trump administration multiple times, from closing our jail to ICE during the family separation crisis to letting the DOJ know that we wouldn't leave our officers on their federal task force unless they allow them to wear body cams. So I've gone up against this administration and I can give you probably 10 more examples and come out on top. And that's the type of leader that we need in this moment. We need more fearless leaders like you, Governor, across this state who are going to deliver for people from affordable housing to Medicaid expansion. I have a plan to eliminate state income taxes for our teachers. I want to create a pathway for free community and technical college in this state. And I want us to be a world class state in every single category. So if people are interested in in supporting our campaign or just learning more about it, you can go to Kesha for governor. K E I S H A Keisha for governor.com and $5 goes a very long way. But if you're feeling especially generous, you can max out at 26,400 now.

[John Rabinowitz]

Mayor being mayor of Atlanta was a huge job. Why do you want to take on the role as governor right now? And what separates you from the candidates you're running against in the primary?

[Keisha Lance Bottoms]

My family goes back at least five generations in the state. We can trace our roots to a plantation in Crawfordville, Georgia. So I know what's possible in this state. For me, it really was that moment the day after the November presidential election. Not being surprised, but very disappointed at the results and praying about what I would be called to do in this season. Life wasn't bad for me. I'd done a lot of things outside of public service that were very fulfilling. But when you have a heart for service and you know that there's a need, it's very difficult to stand on the sideline and not engage. And it also was knowing that when you pray and ask for an answer, as a person of faith, you gotta be prepared for that answer and all it entails. So I know that I'm doing the right thing for the right reasons. I know that this is my assignment in this season. And I know that we need great people, not just good people, in office right now.

[Andy Beshear]

Before we let you go, this podcast is a big fan of published authors. So tell us a little bit about your book that's coming out soon.

[Keisha Lance Bottoms]

Yes. Well, I'm gonna grab my book. It is the Rough side of the Mountain. It is a memoir that I started actually a few years ago. I had to stop it when I went to work into the White House. But I didn't plan for it to come out on top of this race. But I'm so grateful. You can go online and purchase it wherever books are sold. But it's my story and it really is not a political memoir at all. It's about my lessons that I've learned from my dad, who was a famous R and B singer, to his going to prison and his struggles with addiction and the impact it had on my mother and my family and really finding value in the hard working people like my grandparents who didn't finish high school, my grandfather didn't finish eighth grade and just being reminded, especially in my tough times in leadership that it's not always about what's in the book, it's about what's in your heart and what you know to be the right thing. And I share a lot of these southern field lessons in this book so I hope that people will purchase. It's available for pre sale. It will come out April 21.

[Andy Beshear]

Published author, former mayor of Atlanta, and candidate for governor Kesha Lance Bottoms. Thanks for joining the podcast.

[Jeff Duncan]

Yes, thank you.

[Keisha Lance Bottoms]

Thank you for having me.

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[Andy Beshear]

here on the Andy Beshear Podcast, we are excited to welcome Jeff Duncan. Jeff is a public servant shaped by conviction and the courage to change course when it matters. A former Republican leader in Georgia, Jeff served as lieutenant governor during one of the most consequential periods in the state's history, earning national attention for standing up for democracy and telling the truth when it was hardest. Over time, Jeff found himself increasingly at odds with a political movement driven by division rather than solutions. That reckoning led him to cross party lines and run for governor of Georgia as a Democrat focused on what he calls three urgent crises facing the state and country the affordability crisis, the healthcare crisis, and the Donald Trump crisis. Jeff, welcome to the podcast Glad to be here.

[Jeff Duncan]

Thanks for the opportunity.

[Andy Beshear]

Now, I'm excited to talk about each of those crises, but we like to introduce our guests to our listeners. Our listeners know that while this is primarily a political podcast, we like to talk about sports too. And I think you are our first guest in politics that was a professional baseball player.

[Jeff Duncan]

Well, all things go back to baseball for me and my family, for sure. I've got three boys that all play travel baseball, and one of them actually plays football in college at Georgia Tech. So he decided to take the. Take a different route.

[Andy Beshear]

So you played at Georgia Tech, played in the College World Series and then drafted by the Marlins and a number of years in the. In the minors.

[Jeff Duncan]

Oh, that's right. Yeah, we played in the 94 College World Series. I was just glad to be on the team. We had Nomar Garcia. Parra was our shortstop, Jason Vertek was our catcher, Jay Payton was our center fielder, and the list goes on. So I was a rounding error on that team. And then eventually my junior year, the phone rang and I got drafted and had an opportunity to spend six seasons playing professional baseball in the Marlins organization. It was a blast. Every day was fun in the minor leagues, except for payday.

[Jason Estevez]

Mr. Dungan, as a pitcher, what was your arsenal and what was your most effective pitch?

[Jeff Duncan]

So I, I got. Everyone gets drafted because they can throw hard. And then as soon as you get there, you realize you don't throw as hard as everybody else does. So I figured how to. How to throw a slider, which was my out pitch, and then to lefties. As I got deeper into the double A and aaa, I had a circle changeup. So the older I got, the less fastballs I'll threw. But I still stand behind the best pitching baseball. And this kind of my gotcha crush into. When I speak to baseball kids, the best pitch in baseball is strike one. If you throw strike one on the first pitch, you flip the odds of a hitter for being a.300 hitter being under a.200 hitter. So throwing strikes early in the count matters.

[Andy Beshear]

I remember on one of Will's birthdays, we went to the Louisville Bats, their AAA team, and got a chance to talk to the manager. And I said, if you could give a young pitcher one piece of advice, what would it be? And I expected. I don't know what I expected, but he looked at him and he said, throw strikes.

[Jeff Duncan]

Absolutely. It's unbelievable if you look at the stats, how many walks end up scoring, how many innings end up scoring multiple runs because of walks or errors or Free passes. Yeah, you gotta throw strikes. You gotta throw quality, quality strikes.

[Andy Beshear]

So do you think baseball and its competitiveness or at least the effort that you gotta put in every single day help prepare you for politics?

[Jeff Duncan]

Yeah, it prepared me for a lot of life. Right when my career ended in baseball, my wife and I started our first business out of our living room. And just kind of the tenacity and grit you learned from having to show up every day ready to play and deal with failure and deal with the ability to self correct when you're not getting something right absolutely is carried over to politics. I mean, it's certainly been a part of my story. The tenacity and what you need on the campaign trail to make every phone call, to give every speech, to shake every hand, to answer every question is something that I definitely learned in my baseball days.

[Andy Beshear]

So you and I share something in common and it's not athletic ability. You have it, Will has it. But you and I both know something about winning very close races. Tell our listeners a little bit about some of yours.

[Jeff Duncan]

Yeah, my first steak at house race in 2012 in Georgia, I won by 55 votes, which is crazy to think there's 60,000 people in a district. And you know, it comes down to we knocked on 4,000 doors, we meaning me and my family, and we made 6,000 personal phone calls. And then fast forward to when I ran for lieutenant governor in the Republican primary. I beat a long time politico and actually one of the fake electors just to kind of call that out early, David Schaefer. I beat him by 1597 votes statewide in the Republican primary.

[Andy Beshear]

But I take it when you ran it was the way you're running now on solutions, not on things that divide us, but things that bring us together.

[Jeff Duncan]

Yeah, you know, I'm wired to solve problems, not pick fights. I think, you know, as I watch you, as you govern, I think that's, that's definitely your, your mainstay too. I think a lot of folks are like that. And, and I think that's what Americans want, certainly what Georgians want. They want adults in the room to show up, to put good ideas and bad ideas on the scales and figure out what's the best solution for Georgians. Right. As you mentioned, my three priorities, the health care crisis, the affordability crisis, the Donald Trump crisis. They just want solutions to those. Even Republicans are wake up worried about stuff like that. And that's this opportunity of a life crime, I think for the Democratic Party is to, is to grow the size of this and Big enough to not just win an election, but to win the hearts and minds of a country.

[Andy Beshear]

So I first got to know you, watching you show courage as a Republican official disagreeing with Donald Trump and whether it was his first term or his second term, we have not seen that out of almost any other Republican official. Tell us what made you stand up and speak out.

[Jeff Duncan]

It really comes down to our family motto. Brooke and I are raising three boys, as I mentioned, and it's. Doing the right thing will never be the wrong thing. That's. That's really the mantra that we use to raise our boys and to hold ourselves accountable as a family. And doing the right thing would never be the wrong thing, especially when you're standing up to somebody, even if they're the sitting president, to trying to steal an election. And it really was that moment of, you know, Andy, quite honestly, everybody listening probably would have done the same exact thing. A handful of Republicans decided to try to stay in the cool kids club, and so they were willing to lie, cheat, and steal to try to get an election on their side. I just did what the right thing to do was, and I'll continue to do it.

[Andy Beshear]

So as you move from that and your term as lieutenant governor to the present, you've changed parties, tell us what kind of process you went through and. And what drove you to make that decision.

[Jeff Duncan]

Yeah, I didn't run again for reelection for lieutenant governor, not because I couldn't win. The data was there. Brian Kemp won. Brad Raffensperger won reelection. I didn't run because I was embarrassed to call myself a Republican for. For more reasons than just Donald Trump. You know, I was tired of walking by that homeless person, trying to be expected to make an excuse to blame them or that hospital parking lot trying to blame somebody for not having health insurance when they just needed a helping hand at one moment in time. And the list goes on. You know what?

[Mike Thurmond]

My.

[Jeff Duncan]

The lens I look through in public office is loving your neighbor. And as a Republican, there's just so many asterisk marks next to loving your neighbor. If they didn't look like you, act like you love like you, talk like you, and especially vote like you, you weren't really expected to love them. And that just, that that's at odds with my faith. And so making this. This public transformation over the last five years of going from being a Republican to being a Democrat is great. I wake up every day, awesome tool to help people that are in need, really take the government of Georgia and angle it towards poor people instead of Just towards a select few.

[Andy Beshear]

I love that you mentioned the Golden Rule because I believe that and the parable, the Good Samaritan, which appear in all different faiths in one form or fashion, might just be the thing that can take a divided country and pull us back together. That idea that most of us at our core are good people that want to help other people.

[Jeff Duncan]

Yeah, I mean, I speak to the momentum. I mean, obviously a relatively new Democrat. And so, you know, folks would say, jeff, it's going to be hard to get out of the gates. It's quite contrary. I think Georgians are trying to find adults in the room that are willing and able to dig deep into the details and the facts and make good decisions on how we improve public education, how we expand early childhood education, how we expand medically, how we pass common sense gun legislation. I think they know it takes somebody that is willing to say, I didn't get it right or hey, we need to make adjustment because loving our neighbor is the expectation we should all have.

[Andy Beshear]

So when you talk about these three crises, the affordability crisis, the health care crisis, and the Donald Trump crisis, which the Donald Trump crisis might have caused the other two crisis, or at least isn't helping them. Let's start on, on affordability. As governor of Georgia, what steps would you take to make life just a little bit easier for your people?

[Jeff Duncan]

I think one, you got to focus on folks in and around the vicious cycle of poverty. I think, you know, this issue that folks cannot go single moms can't go back to work because they can't afford child care. We can better invest in the CAPS program, which is a federal state program. We're under investing by millions and tens of millions of dollars so that can drive down childcare costs. We can invest better invest in the TANF program, which we're under investing by hundreds of millions of dollars to help meet some of those folks that need some transportation gaps filled or some utility bill help. And, you know, and we also have to continue to grow a robust economy. We cannot just angle economic development towards a select few counties. We've got to drive it as into the 159 counties across the state if we possibly can. And part of that is better funding our education system, which I believe plays hand in hand with the affordability crisis.

[Andy Beshear]

Yeah, we have 120 counties in Kentucky. You're one of the two. I think that has more than we do.

[Jeff Duncan]

It's a challenge, but it's what we're left with, 159 counties. And so we got to figure out how to best navigate.

[Andy Beshear]

All right, talk to us about the healthcare crisis, how you see it, and how you'd address it.

[Jeff Duncan]

We got to explain Medicaid. As a former Republican that has literally looked under every rock to try to improve health care in Georgia, the only way we can do it in this current environment is to expand Medicaid. Republicans are wrong on this issue. They know they're wrong. And this is one of the issues that will be a highlight in the general election here in Georgia, because they're wrong. And their theory is if, well, somebody doesn't have health insurance, they won't get sick or won't go to the hospital. We know that's a false way of thinking. That's not the way it happens. And so we've got to expand Medicaid in a responsible way. Is it going to be expensive? Yes. But is it the right thing to do? Yes. In fact, I believe it's the only thing to do. If we're going to keep our rural hospitals open and our rural communities thriving. And we've got to continue to be an economic developed state, we've got to make sure our healthcare system is stable. And the only way to do that is to expand Medicaid.

[Andy Beshear]

When he was governor, my dad expanded Medicaid in Kentucky and actually got a study done that showed that we got more positives in our economy, more jobs, more investment out of expanding Medicaid than the costs. That this is something that boosts rural economies, creates good jobs there, then reinvests back in the economy. Because those doctors and nurses and folks working in that rural hospital also go to your local restaurants, your local coffee shops, they use the local bank, they buy insurance from the local insurance agent. That this is another way that we can stimulate rural America.

[Jeff Duncan]

Yeah. And you know, if you're part of the economic development team of a governor's staff, how could you look a prospect in the eyes and tell them to go invest 10 or $100 million in a rural community, knowing in the back of your head that rural hospitals missing payrolls or about ready to shut their doors? It's. It's impossible to economically develop or grow in these communities. So expanding Medicaid makes all the sense in the world. It's still creates challenges. I think we need to still innovate around health care. We need to drive technology deeper into the, into the rural areas. We need to make sure that we have primary care. We need to make sure we have behavioral health issues covered entirely tight, tightly woven into our insurance policies and plans. There's a lot of things that there's a lot of ground to gain on health care. And once again, I think this is a huge opportunity for Democrats to grow the size of the tent because even Republicans know we're right on the issue. They're just embarrassed or don't have the courage to admit they're wrong.

[Andy Beshear]

So talk to us about the third crisis that I think everybody who listens to this podcast would agree with you. The Donald Trump crisis.

[Jeff Duncan]

Yeah, look, it's real. You know, I haven't checked the news in the last 10 minutes, but I'm sure there's another crisis that's popped up, a self made crisis.

[Jason Estevez]

Right.

[Jeff Duncan]

Donald Trump is, is probably going to go down in history as one of the worst things to ever happen in this country. And we're having to live it out in this moment. But these are real lives that are being affected. You know, often joke in my stump speech that if you give a Republican friend a six pack of beer in two hours, they still can't explain you tariffs. They can't explain the weaponizing the Department of Justice or now we're watching these ICE raids play out the inhumane, the unjustified. This isn't policy that Donald Trump's driving. This isn't immigration policy. This is all about fear and domination. This is about extracting something other than immigration policy. And we've seen it play out. We're watching it play out in Minnesota in the most God awful way, the most heartbreaking way, tragic will and you know, you're watching the Department of Justice try to, you know, they think they're negotiating. What they're doing is they're taking states hostage like Georgia, try to get our voting rolls. And it's just one thing after another

[Andy Beshear]

in this Democratic primary. What separates you from the other candidates?

[Jeff Duncan]

I think two, two things. One is Georgian Democrats and independents and discussed Republicans are wired differently than the national platform. I think people are gravitating towards my more moderate tone and tenor. You know, I want to turn chaos into conversations. That's what my resume says I'm good at. Secondly, Democrats are ready to win. It's been nearly 30 years since the Democrats been elected governor and they all, you know, can come up with sophisticated reasons why that's the case. But the reality is you've got to win more than the base to be the, to be the governor in Georgia. And I think I'm building a coalition that is big enough to not only win a primary but to win a general because, you know, second place trophies aren't going to solve any of the problems that everybody listening here wants to solve.

[Andy Beshear]

It's a good point that while we're talking a lot about affordability, we need to be really focused on electability. Tell our listeners who are outside of Georgia why they should want to get involved in the Georgia governor's election.

[Jeff Duncan]

Well, look, we've gotten all 50 states. We got over 8,000 contributions from all 50 states, all small dollar stuff, $5 dollars, $10. Because I think folks are watching Georgia as the tip of the spear. If we can prove this thesis works in Georgia, if we can turn this state to Democratic leadership, we can send a message to the rest of the country that they, too, have the permission structure to do it in their states, to look past historical elections and put forward common sense decision makers, folks that really want to show up to work every day, day one, ready to work, ready to solve problems, ready to show what genuine, authentic leadership looks like. And so, you know, that's really what's been a driving force. And I also think folks want, you know, look, I'm running against a Republican Party that is so dripping of MAGA juice, it's unbelievable. And most likely Bert Jones is going to be the nominee and he was a fake elector and he got pardoned by Donald Trump. I mean, it just can't get any more MAGA than Bert Jones. And I don't think folks want him sitting there in 2028 being the sitting governor when, when our elections are counting votes for who's going to be the next president of the United States. And so I think an opportunity to do something special from a policy standpoint. But also I think there's something special to put somebody in place that's going to actually do the right thing.

[Andy Beshear]

Tell our listeners how to follow your campaign.

[Jeff Duncan]

Duncan for Georgia.com I'll say it again. Duncan for Georgia.com is our website. You can figure out more, find more information about us. You can certainly contribute if that's something somebody's interested in doing. We're, we're very excited about our momentum that we're building. Follow me on twitter @Jeff Duncan, GA It's Jeff with a G. Look, we're, we're making waves because I think we're doing, we're doing this differently. This isn't about just trying to pain in the extremes. This is about trying to make sure that we show up day one on the job, ready to govern, ready to lead, ready to make those tough decisions.

[Andy Beshear]

Don't ask many hypothetical questions, but roll with me on this One. If governors suddenly develop a baseball game, Democrats versus Republicans, like they do in Congress, how many innings could you throw for us?

[Jeff Duncan]

Well, we have to negotiate a little bit.

[Andy Beshear]

That sounds right.

[Jeff Duncan]

No, I'll give three. Three solid innings.

[Andy Beshear]

Okay.

[Jeff Duncan]

Hopefully I'll probably have to take the next day off work.

[Andy Beshear]

Hopefully our families can pitch in, too.

[Jeff Duncan]

Maybe.

[Andy Beshear]

Maybe will could relieve you or vice versa.

[Jeff Duncan]

That's right.

[Andy Beshear]

Jeff, thank you for being on the podcast. Best of luck to you. Please come back on in the future.

[Jeff Duncan]

Thanks for the opportunity. Good luck.

[Andy Beshear]

Our next candidate on the Andy Beshear podcast is Mike Thurman. Mike has dedicated his life to public service, building a distinguished record of fighting for working families and taking on tough jobs to help Georgians in need of support. He is the youngest of nine children. He learned the value of hard work and education from that very big family throughout his career in public service. From the Georgia General assembly to labor commissioner and CEO, Mike has become Georgia's go to turnaround expert. When institutions are broken, Mike gets things done when others say it's impossible. Now Mike is running for governor of Georgia so he can live up to to its full potential. Mike, welcome to the podcast.

[Mike Thurmond]

Thank you, Governor. Honored to be with you today.

[Andy Beshear]

So you have been called Georgia's fixer, and that's a great title, by the way. I want that one day you were brought in to stabilize a school system, then the county itself. What does that say about how you see your role in government?

[Mike Thurmond]

Government should work for the people who are paying the taxes and casting the vote. And I've always put people before politics. Prior to becoming the school superintendent in DeKalb, we had an accreditation crisis of the third largest school district in the state of Georgia, 100,000 students. We were able to save our accreditation, eliminate a $14 million deficit, turn it into a $90 million surplus, increase graduation rates and test scores, and improve Morella. It's about helping people improve their lives so that they can achieve their hopes and their dreams and their aspirations.

[Andy Beshear]

So you were the first black legislator from Athens since Reconstruction when elected in 1986. How has that history shaped your fight and what you're trying to do now?

[Mike Thurmond]

Well, I'm very proud of that fact. And actually, though, Governor, I lost the first times I ran for that seat. The last African American to represent Athens had been a former slave elected during Reconstruction. That's the history and I'm proud of. But as it relates to the future, when I won, I was the only African American in the southeast United States elected from a majority white district. What that told me is that there were in Athens and Clark county and across this state, there are a majority of citizens who are willing to judge candidates not by their color, but by their character, their record and their ability to work hard and solve problems. I was the first black elector, but I was also the only one in the Southeast elected from a majority white district during that period.

[Andy Beshear]

So when I, when I think about that and its place in, in history, when I think about discrimination, I think about Dr. King talking about discrimination in healthcare being one of the, one of the worst forms. Talk to us about the state of healthcare in Georgia and about the need for expanded Medicaid.

[Mike Thurmond]

The Republican leadership in our state, as they should constantly pray that Georgia is one of is not top state for a visit. But the reality is we'll rank 48 and access the health care. We're at the bottom when it comes to maternal, infant and fetal mortality. We're at the bottom when it comes to per capita income. We can't be great unless every Georgia resident has an opportunity to get access to affordable health care. It is a disgrace that we've not spared Medicaid in our state. If effective, I'm convinced that I can build a majority of Georgians who are willing to put party aside and do what's right for the citizens of our state. This put us on the campaign trail, Governor. Access to affordable health care is not a black thing. It's not a white thing. Frankly, it's not a Republican or a Democratic thing is the right thing to do. We can't have economic growth, we cannot continue to grow our state unless we address the issue of lack of affordable health care, particularly in rural Georgia, where we have had over the last five years full rural hospital to close their doors, creating a greater crisis for our state.

[Andy Beshear]

So in Kentucky, we have expanded Medicaid and because of that, we have a number of rural hospitals. And being the the governor during the pandemic, it was absolutely vital to keeping people alive. But what I'm facing right now is the big ugly bill and the enormous cuts that it's going to make and the harm it's going to do to rural health care. Talk about how, as governor of Georgia, you would push back against that bill and this president's attempts to cut health care.

[Mike Thurmond]

First, Governor, I just want to congratulate you for your dedication, your courage to fight on behalf of working citizen Baron Kentucky and the successes you had in face of almost insurmountable opposition, not just in Kentucky, but in Washington, too. My career has allowed me to serve as director of the Department of Family and Children's Services as well to being elected three times statewide as Georgia Labor Commission. I think we're going to have to begin to reform it similar to what you've done from the inside out as opposed from the outside in. I see a tremendous amount of waste that we have right now in Georgia. We spent $90 million trying to administer and implement a work readiness program through Medicaid. I'll take those dollars and reinvest them in expanding healthcare. Georgia has a $18 billion surplus. I will take a portion of that money. The governor, as you know, controls about 90% of the budget and invested in care that will help rural and urban Georgia, where we have access. Disparity.

[Andy Beshear]

I hear Democrats ask, and not just Democrats, but across the board, the same question about Georgia as I hear in Kentucky, how can a Democrat win? Of course, I think, wait, you've got two senators. It's been shown that it can happen. But how are you the one that'd make it happen?

[Mike Thurmond]

My first governor, I was the first African American, non incumbent to ever be elected statewide in the history of Georgia as labor Commission. I was first elected in 1998 when Governor Roy Barnes was at the top of the ticket. Then I won two additional statewide elections when Sonny Padua, Republican, was at the top of the tip. As I stated earlier, I've been elected in majority districts. So I demonstrated that I can build the coalition. I can help people. And sometimes if you want to build a bridge, you have to be the bridge. I'm from rural Georgia. I grew up in rural Georgia. And I recognize that in order for us win, we have to be able to earn votes outside of metro Atlanta. I've done it in the past and I'm convinced that we'll do it again. And I'm convinced that I'll become the Democratic nominee and ultimately the next governor of the state of Georgia.

[Andy Beshear]

So I recently announced a book. It took me a couple different tries, but on the third try, it happened. But I'm talking to somebody who's written three. You have published three books about Georgia's history. Tell us how that impacts your leadership and your desire to be governor and help the state of Georgia.

[Mike Thurmond]

Well, congratulations on your new book, Governor. As you know, writing, the closest anyone will ever come to immortality is to write. And so my most recent book is entitled James Oglethorpe, the Father of Georgia A Founder's Journey from Slave Trader to Abolitionist. Georgia was the last of the 13 original colonies to be established in North America. But what many People don't know is that Georgia was the only one of the 13 original colonies to prohibit the enslavement of black people prior to the American Revolutionary War. This book is about the founding father of Georgia who stood up in the North American wilderness and spoke out against the transatlantic slave trade and about his ability to build friendships with formerly enslaved black people, Native Indians. He allowed Jewish colonists to come to Georgia even though it was prohibited by other founding fathers. And he advocated on behalf of women to get access to higher education once he returned to England. So this book is about Jane's overthought journey from serving in a slave trading firm to becoming one of the first white men in North America to speak out against the transatlantic slave trade. The bottom line against the subterrack, Governor, is it doesn't matter where you start, but if you open yourself up to new ideas, to learning, to engaging, then you can move from where you are to. To places that you really can only dream about. He made this journey from being a slave trader to becoming one of the first abolitionists on the planet.

[Andy Beshear]

I absolutely want to read it. If you'll send me a copy, I'll send you. Go and do likewise in return. Deal man.

[Mike Thurmond]

You will autograph your copy. I'd love to have an autographed copy of your new book. I read the articles that you've written in the New York Times and some other publications. And, Governor, you our north star here in the south, to be quite honest with, and I wanted to say that to you, you our hero, and you give us hope that tomorrow can be better than today here in Georgia.

[Andy Beshear]

Well, I'm looking forward to having company in the Georgia governor's office. Now we have listeners all over the country. Tell them why they should be interested in the Georgia governor's race.

[Mike Thurmond]

It's a bellwether race, as you know. We have to find Democratic race. US Senators Trump is obsessed with Georgia. Recently, the FBI raided the Board of Elections and Registration here in Fulton County. DeKalb county, where I served as CEO, is the fourth largest county in Georgia. And there were efforts to intervene in our elections as well. Georgia is key. It's a linchpin state here in the south, but also across this nation. If we can win in Georgia, it will be a resounding rejection of Trump and his divisive politics. An election of myself as governor will say to all who doubt the fact that the American dream is still alive. When I'm elected governor, we'll have a governor that would raise as a sharecropper's son in a house on the Eddie and dirty road. Frankly, that didn't have burnt indoor running water. So the American dream is real. And that young man that was raised in those difficult circumstances is getting ready and prepared to become the next governor of Georgia. It will speak to America and speak to millions of young people across this nation. America, he lived in rural Georgia, might be living in tough neighborhoods and subsidized housing. God, don't make no jump. And if you work hard and have faith and hold up the American dream, my election will be proof positive that all things are possible.

[Andy Beshear]

So when you're not serving the people of Georgia and you're not writing your next book, what do you like to do?

[Mike Thurmond]

Spend time with my wife, Zola. She's a native of Chattanooga, Tennessee. She and I, we have one daughter, Makaya, who now living in Raleigh, North Carolina, recently engaged. Makaya is our crowning achievement in life. She's an amazing young lady, graduated from the University of Georgia, has a master's degree from Harvard and now has a public relations firm. She was in the media. She was an anchor there in Raleigh for many years. And now she has a private business. So it's about family and doing what's right and just being quiet. I enjoy solitude. I grew up in a very isolated part of Georgia. Our neighbors were like a mile away. So Governor, I enjoyed this quiet solitude, ruminating and sharing with my family.

[Andy Beshear]

Yeah, in these jobs, quiet can be welcome. As we close out, tell all our listeners how they can follow your campaign.

[Mike Thurmond]

Go to miketherman.com to learn more about me and about our campaign. And this is more than just an election for government. We are literally fighting for the heart and soul of our state and the heart and soul of our nation. But I'm prepared for despite ready to standing there working class people for working Georgia. We deserve to have a state that offers health care, a state that offer good jobs for our citizens and invest in a public education that'll give our chance of our young people to achieve a fulfilling Future. Go to mythermond.com follow this campaign and we will show America that here in Georgia, the dream remains alive and across America. I just want to say this Governor, we don't need anyone to make America great again. America has been, is and will continue to be the greatest nation on the pace of this.

[Andy Beshear]

Mike, thanks for joining the podcast.

[Mike Thurmond]

Thank you Govern.

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[Jeff Duncan]

Why have I asked my electrician I found on Angie.com to bury my pet hamster Nibbles in our yard for me? Because I was so moved by how carefully he buried my electrical wires, I knew I could trust him to bury my sweet Nibbles after his untimely end. Nibbles gone too soon. May he scurry in peace.

[Mike Thurmond]

Hey, sorry about your pet, but I just wire stuff.

[Jeff Duncan]

Nibbles would have loved you like a bright brother.

[John Rabinowitz]

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[Andy Beshear]

And now on the Andy Beshear Podcast, we're joined by Jason Estevez. He is a former Georgia State Senator and he is a Democratic candidate for Governor of Georgia. Senator Jason Estevez worked as a public school teacher and later served on the Board of Education for Atlanta Public Schools. Under his leadership, Atlanta Public Schools achieved record breaking graduation rates and provided over $100 million in staff pay increases and stipends. In the State Senate, Jason led efforts to lower housing costs for Georgia seniors, expand access to health care, and invested in Georgia schools. Raised in Columbus, Georgia, he currently resides in Atlanta with his wife Ariel and his two children, Jaden and Zoe. Thanks for joining the podcast.

[Jason Estevez]

Thank you so much, Governor.

[Andy Beshear]

I wanted to start with Medicaid expansion. It has been a game changer in Kentucky. 600,000 people that had never had health care coverage now currently do, even though that's at risk with this Trump administration. Talk to us about your plans if you win this governor's race about Medicaid expansion.

[Jason Estevez]

Well, look, we are in crisis here in the state of Georgia, particularly when it comes to health care. My wife is a nurse practitioner and she also owns an urgent care in Atlanta. So we've seen the fight for health care, particularly Medicaid expansion, firsthand. And I will tell you that in Georgia we have over a million people who are uninsured and it's led to the closure of of dozens of hospitals across the state. And there are people who are dying because they don't have access to the care that they need because they don't have access to the health insurance that they that they need. And here's what I'll tell you, Governor, here's the good news is that Republicans want to expand Medicaid in Georgia. They understand the benefit that it provides to our community. They understand the benefit that it provides to small business owners and to business owners across the state. What they're missing is leadership. The governor has made it part of his shtick that he will refuse to expand Medicaid, and he's following his predecessor in doing that. Because of that failure in leadership, Georgia has lost out on $30 billion in federal funding. That's the equivalent of about $7,000 per taxpayer in the state of Georgia. I don't know about you, but there are Georgians across this state that could have used that money for many other things. And because of that, I want to make sure that we finally get it done. Within my first year as being governor,

[Andy Beshear]

we saw in Kentucky how it also created significant numbers of jobs and it created the largest payroll in a lot of rural communities. And you can expand Medicaid through an executive order. That's exactly how we did it in Kentucky. But I want to turn to education. I know this is, this is your wheelhouse, and what you did with the Atlanta public school system is so impressive. You served us chair of the board, I think, for a number of years, too. But you've released an education plan. Tell us about that.

[Jason Estevez]

Yeah, well, look, this is an issue near and dear to my heart. I'm a former public school teacher. It was my first job out of college.

[Andy Beshear]

What'd you teach?

[Jason Estevez]

I taught middle school social studies. I taught Texas history and U.S. history. And I will tell you, it's the hardest job I've ever done, but it's also the most rewarding job that I've had. And after that, I was on the school board for Atlanta Public schools for almost 10 years. I was chair of the school board for four of those years. And I have two kids who are currently in school now, a 10 year old and a seven year old, Jayden and Zoe. So as part of education, I understand that it's the great equalizer. And it's incredibly important to making sure that if we want to provide Georgians the opportunity to thrive, we have to have a strong education system. And I want to make sure that we improve education by starting early, which is why I propose a universal childcare plan, because I want to make sure that parents can afford childcare so that they can go to work. But at the same time, our young babies, those under the age of five, had the building blocks that they need to learn how to read, write, and do math. And that's incredibly important in a state where 70% of our kids are not reading on grade level by the time they reach fourth grade. So we have a literacy crisis in the state of Georgia that could be solved by investing in our childcare system. The other thing I want to do is fully fund our public schools and empower our teachers again, because Republicans have been taking away a lot of power from our schools and our experts in classrooms. I want to restore that power and bring the power back to where it belongs and the people who are spending time with our kids each and every day. I also want to make sure that our children are receiving the services that they need, particularly when it comes to mental health and technology. We have a mental health crisis in the state of Georgia, and I want to make sure that our children are receiving the services that they need both at school and in the community, and most importantly, on the back end. Making sure that at the end of your K12 journey that you have pathways to a good paying job whether you go to college or not. Which is why I want to make historic investments in apprenticeship programs and a free technical college system. Because I want to restore dignity and purpose back into the trades and vocational education, making sure that whether you go to college or not, you have a good paying job. And I'll tell you, Governor, this is something that's completely different than what we've seen from Republicans over the last 25 years in Georgia, where we've seen them disinvest in our education system, take dollars away from public education and send those towards private entities that are unaccountable to the people of Georgia. I want to make sure that we invest in the system that educates more than 90% of our children, and that's our public education system.

[Andy Beshear]

So you've been a middle school teacher and you've been in the state senate. So you got to tell me what's harder. Corralling middle schoolers or legislators.

[Jason Estevez]

Look, I'll tell you what. Nothing is harder than middle school social studies. But I will tell you that those legislators sometimes act like middle schoolers.

[Andy Beshear]

Hey, Jason, John McConnell here. Can I ask a question? You're a policymaker also. You are a caretaker for your mother while she was in late stage Alzheimer's. How did that experience change you?

[Jason Estevez]

Yeah, well, look, my. My mom is the reason that I'm doing what I do.

[Mike Thurmond]

She.

[Jason Estevez]

At a very young age, she planted that seed of service and leaving my community better than how I found it. And it's those values that I took with me as a middle school social studies teacher, as a school board member, as a state senator, and that I carry with me each and every day. And unfortunately, she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's at the age of 60. She was very young. And I'm part of the Sandwich generation. I had to caregive for my mom at the same time that I was caring for my young children. My wife and I worked together to do that. And what we encountered, John, was a system that was complicated and broken in Georgia. Too many seniors and their caregivers lead people into. Are led into bankruptcy because the state of Georgia provides very little support until you are financially ruined. And the whole time that my wife and I were trying to navigate this complicated system, I was thinking to myself, what does the average Georgian do? And the reality is they go broke or they give up. And our seniors deserve more respect. Our seniors deserve more than that, which is why I want to make sure that Georgians across this state, those caregivers of parents with Alzheimer's, or those seniors that are caring for one another, that they have the resources that they need to be able to find an affordable place to live, where they can live in a place where they can get access to the care that they need, and where ultimately the state of Georgia is helping to provide them those services so that they don't have to go broke before they get the help that they need. At the end of the day, what I want to make sure we do is that we support those Georgians that have poured their lifetime into making Georgia a better place. They deserve better than being left behind when they're in their most vulnerable place, when they're older.

[Andy Beshear]

And, Jason, that kind of brings up another topic. I mean, families across Georgia are feeling squeezed right now with just how expensive it is to do anything. So when you look at your platform helping everyone across the state, and how can you improve that?

[Jason Estevez]

Yeah, well, look, my focus is not only fighting for our democracy and fighting back against Donald Trump and the destruction that he's wrecking all across our country, but I also want to make sure that we focus on ensuring that Georgians have access to the healthcare that they need, that they have opportunities, good paying jobs so that they can keep and grow the money in their pockets, and that ultimately our children and grandchildren have more opportunities than what we've had. I tell people that I'm focused on health, wealth, and opportunity, because no matter who you are, whether you are a Democrat, whether you voted for Trump, whether you're apolitical or independent, you care about those three issues. So my campaign is laser focused on bringing down the cost of living, particularly as it relates to housing, because we have a housing crisis all across the state of Georgia, whether it's in rural counties or, or big cities. We do that by stopping private equity funds from buying up all of our single family homes, which in Georgia is a really big problem. But we also do it by cutting the red tape, making it easier and less costly to build new homes. I also want to make sure that we establish an affordable housing trust fund so that we can help build developments in communities that need it the most. I also want to focus on holding utility companies accountable because a lot of families are feeling the pinch because our power bills and our gas bills have gone up significantly over the last several years and we have an influx of data centers in the state of Georgia which has led to the, to the increase in power bills. And ultimately I want to stop these tax giveaways that are going to these big corporations, especially data center. A lot of people don't know this, but in Georgia this year we anticipate that we're going to give away $2 billion in tax giveaways, the data centers. I don't know about you, but Georgians deserve that money in their pocket. It shouldn't go in pocket. It's of Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk and it amounts to about $500 per Georgian taxpayer. I want to make sure to return as much money as possible to the hard working people of this state and improve the services and the access that they have to those services as we,

[Andy Beshear]

as we close out. Jason, first, our affordable housing trust fund leverages nine private dollars for every public dollar put in. Think about that. What a, what a deal to make sure people have a place to live. But tell our listeners if they're outside of Georgia, why they should be interested in the race, why you are the candidate they should support, and how to follow your campaign.

[Jason Estevez]

Yeah, well, I appreciate the opportunity. And look, Georgia is the battleground in this country and Georgia has saved our democracy before when we elected Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock to the U.S. senate. And we will do it again by finishing the job and flipping statewide seats in this state, including that as governor. And I will tell you, if you are interested in making the blue wave a reality across the country and particularly in the south, then Georgia is the place to do it. But we need your help. And I'm the only candidate in this race with the lived experiences of the hard working people of this state. I've seen our challenges up close, whether it's been as a middle school social studies teacher, a parent of two young children, a caregiver of a mom with Alzheimer's or a small business owner. But I also have a record of delivering at the state and local level. And I have a vision for the future of the state that gives people something to vote for, not just something to vote against. And that's incredibly, incredibly important, Governor, because for a long time, and I've heard you talk about this, Democrats have been telling people what they should be voting against. I'm here to tell you what Georgians should be voting for. And I believe that with my platform, with my lived experiences, I'm the only candidate in this race that can build a multi generational, multiracial coalition that's going to take to win in November. So I'm asking people to join it, join my campaign. Follow me on social media Jason Estevez or Visit my website Jason estevez.com I'm confident that if we organize together, if we work together, those in Georgia and outside Georgia, we will not only win this race in November, but we're going to change the face of leadership in Georgia for generations to come.

[Andy Beshear]

Candidate for Georgia governor and former public school teacher Jason Estevez. Thanks for joining the podcast.

[Jason Estevez]

Thank you so much for having me. Donor Appreciate it.

[Andy Beshear]

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