WARNER ROBINS, GA. What was being labeled as a “meet & greet” took place inside the New Beginnings Center on the campus of First Baptist Church. The Georgia branch of the NAACP hosted the event on Wednesday night. The room, which looked more like a gymnasium, was quickly full of active voters, interested locals, and a good example of the voting demographics in Houston County. Black men and women of all ages mixed and mingled with white men and women.
Houston County is the 14th largest county in the state, according to the United States Census. But if anyone is going to win the election, they will need support from medium-sized counties like Houston to do it.
The flyer for the event displayed the headshots of all eight candidates for the state’s highest office. Only five of them were sitting on the stage when the event started at 6 p.m.
Jason Esteves arrived first and could be seen working the room, shaking hands with people and taking selfies with others. A state representative in a land far, far away from Warner Robins, Esteves had already hit the ground running, campaigning in Coastal Georgia weeks before the event in Houston County.
During his speech, Esteves made sure to let the crowd know that he was a middle school teacher and appreciated the service educators provide.
“By the way, that job is still the toughest job I have ever had,” Esteves said.
Esteves called out fellow candidates Burt Jones and Chris Carr, and former Georgia Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan, saying they are politicians who cared more about party politics than people.
“As governor, I will make sure I stand up to the chaos that’s going on in Washington, D.C.,” Esteves said.
He was referring to the Trump administration, but there is also chaos on the streets of D.C. because of the federal police presence brought on by the President.
The line of the night was delivered by State Representative Derrick Jackson, who said if you ever wondered what it was like to fight for civil rights, you now have your opportunity under the Trump administration. Many in the room applauded the retired United States Navy veteran following that comment.
Former Georgia Labor Commissioner and DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond was second to last to speak, but might have made the most impact on Wednesday night.
“Roll it,” said Thurmond as his campaign video played in the background.
Thurmond and retired 14-year United States Marine and Republican candidate Ken Yasger were the only candidates to give their speeches from the floor and not behind the podium.
It has been 26 years since a Democratic candidate was elected Governor in Georgia. The majority of the men in that room tonight are vying to become the next one to walk the halls of the Governor’s Mansion. Thurmond, the only man in the room to win multiple statewide elections, held court and serve on Wednesday night.
Thurmond asked the teachers, cooks, and bus drivers in the room to stand up and receive applause. He said those were the people who needed to be put first by politicians.
“White collar, blue collar, no collar. It’s not the collar, but the green in the dollar,” Thurmond said.
Thurmond was loudly applauded several times during his speech.
“Work is dignity. Honest work. Honest pay,” he said.
Yasger, 36, was the only white man on stage. That helped him stand out, but so did his personal story. Yasger said he wants to give people a reason to be proud again, “no matter who’s in the White House,” he said.
Yasger admitted that he suffered from alcohol abuse and is currently a year and a half sober. He said he nearly ended his campaign two weeks ago because of a lack of media attention and fundraising. Yasger acknowledged he has raised $8,000 so far and has donated $5,000 of it to local charities.
“That American flag will outlive all of these politicians,” Yasger said.
Georgia Attorney General Chris Car, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, and Georgia Lt. Governor Burt Jones were not in attendance, but sent videos in their stead.
