There will likely be a few empty lecterns when the Atlanta Press Club hosts its campaign debates Sunday. As of Thursday morning, four incumbents have declined their invitations to appear or have not confirmed their participation.
“It’s always an interesting look on our debates when there is an empty podium,” Lauri Strauss, a consultant with the Atlanta Press Club, told “Politically Georgia.”
As of this morning, U.S. Reps. David Scott and Lucy McBath have not confirmed whether they will take part in the debates leading up to the state’s May 21 primary.
Strauss says Georgia Supreme Court Justice Andrew Pinson’s campaign is still in conversations with organizers but has not given an official response.
She added that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is the only incumbent who has actually said she will not participate.
In an effort to encourage more participation, the Atlanta Press Club released a statement saying that this “is the first time in the history of our debate series that so many incumbents have failed to take part.”
Strauss repeated those sentiments to the hosts of “Politically Georgia,” but she added that the tradition of putting up an empty lectern for candidates is not new.
“We’ve had this policy in place for many, many years because we decided it is not fair to the candidate who agreed to the invitation to debate,” Strauss said. “We don’t want to penalize the person that says, ‘Yeah, I will come, and I will answer questions from the local media.’ ”
To participate, all candidates must confirm their participation with the Atlanta Press Club by Friday.
In the long run, Strauss says she hopes more incumbents take part in future debates.
“We hope this is not a trend with the incumbents choosing not to participate,” she said. “We hope this is just kind of a primary little blip, but this public service has been very important to the Atlanta Press Club.”
The Atlanta Press Club debates take place Sunday and will be broadcast between Monday and May 2. Here’s the full schedule.
Friday on “Politically Georgia”: Former U.S. Rep. Carolyn Bordeaux, an Atlanta Journal-Constitution contributor, joins the show.
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