The one-hour event at Assembly Atlanta will air across all Georgia Gray Media stations.
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — Atlanta News First announced today that it will host an exclusive, live gubernatorial town hall debate between Rick Jackson (R) and Keisha Lance Bottoms (D) on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026, at 8 p.m.
The one-hour debate will broadcast live from Assembly Studios, Gray Media’s state-of-the-art studio production facility in Atlanta. The event will follow a modified town hall format, giving undecided local voters the unique opportunity to ask questions directly to the candidates about the most pressing issues facing the community.
The live event will be moderated by Atlanta News First anchor Rick Folbaum, host of the station’s premier political and public affairs program, On the Record.
“Atlanta News First is dedicated to providing our community with direct access to the leaders shaping our future,” said Erik Schrader, vice president and general manager of Atlanta News First.
“By bringing undecided voters face-to-face with the candidates in a town hall format, we are ensuring that the questions that matter most to families in metro Atlanta are answered directly on our stage,” Schrader said. “We are proud to leverage the world-class production capabilities of Assembly Studios to deliver this vital civic broadcast.”
To provide comprehensive coverage, Atlanta News First will also produce dedicated 30-minute pre- and post-debate programs. “On the Record: Live,” hosted by Doug Reardon, will serve as the pre-debate show beginning at 7:30 p.m. and the post-debate analysis airing immediately following the debate at 9 p.m. Both programs will be available for all participating Georgia Gray stations to air or stream.
In Atlanta, viewers can watch the debate live on Atlanta News First (WANF) or stream it live on ANF+ on Roku, Amazon Fire, and Apple TV or the Atlanta News First mobile app.
Bottoms, though, said one debate is not enough. She’s challenging her opponent to six total debates. In a Monday morning statement, Bottoms said, “Georgians deserve to hear directly from candidates for public office with multiple debates around the state It’s time for slick Rick Jackson to stop hiding.”
“Only the flailing campaign of a failed politician would spend more than six weeks ducking a debate, then suddenly demand six of them after Georgians begin to learn the truth about her disastrous record as mayor of Atlanta,” responded Jackson spokesman Garrison Douglas. “The fact is Keisha Lance Bottoms has become desperate and can’t talk her way out of what she did to Atlanta.”
Thus far, Jackson has only committed to taking part in the Oct. 6 ANF town hall.
The gubernatorial town hall debate is part of Atlanta News First’s robust election coverage. Just two nights later, on Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026, Atlanta News First will also host and broadcast the highly anticipated, exclusive Georgia U.S. Senate debate between incumbent U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff (D) and challenger U.S. Rep. Mike Collins (R) live from Assembly Atlanta.
Additional details regarding voter participation, streaming access, and local broadcast listings for both events will be announced closer to the dates.
Atlanta News First and Atlanta News First+ provide you with the latest news, headlines and insights as Georgia continues its role at the forefront of the nation’s political scene. Download our Atlanta News First app for the latest political news and information.
Source: www.atlantanewsfirst.com