Democratic gubernatorial candidates make stops in Savannah ahead of key election

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - A big election year is just getting underway, and multiple of the top candidates in the democratic primary for Georgia Governor are coming through Savannah.

WTOC spoke with multiple of these candidates, including Keisha Lance-Bottoms, who got a tour of the Savannah ports Thursday.

Lance-Bottoms says the ports are Savannah’s most important international asset. She even says she plans on getting the port representation on the Georgia Building Authority Board if she were elected, and her meeting with their president outlined some key points of her campaign.

“You can’t talk about Savannah and what it means to this state without mentioning the port of Savannah,” said Lance-Bottoms, D-Georgia Governor candidate.

Former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance-Bottoms talked about some key points in her campaign alongside the Longshoreman Association’s president Paul Mosley.

Mosley says she was the only candidate in the race for Georgia governor to reach out to them to address concerns and find solutions.

“It deserves the support of all of us, whether it’s local leadership, state leadership, federal leadership because so much of what happens in this port impacts us all,” said Lance-Bottoms.

The two big points were around AI in the workplace and tariffs. Association President Mosley says that this is an issue they’ve been dealing with, but that he is adamant on keeping people in the workplace instead of virtual or AI workers.

Both also commented on tariffs, which they believe are becoming an “American crisis”

“It’s important to have this conversation to understand what if anything can be done from state leadership to create stability in this very uncertain environment,” said Lance-Bottoms.

“We have seen some effects,” said Paul Mosley, ITL Association President. “Some of our members that would normally be working, they’re not working right now. So we pray that the government will get things in order so we can come back to the same common median that we have lived and enjoyed for so many years.”

Lance-Bottoms was able to tour the port facilities afterwards. The media was not invited to join them but she put out her thoughts on social media afterwards, praising the ongoing operation to keep goods coming in and out of the Hostess City.

While the former mayor prepares for her primary, the republican primary looks to have three noteworthy candidates.

Current Georgia attorney general Chris Carr, lieutenant governor Burt Jones and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger are all named to keep an eye on as beginning date of May 19th draws near.

Lance-Bottoms isn’t the only democratic candidate in town right now.

Friday, WTOC is speaking with Geoff Duncan and Jason Esteves 1-on-1 as they prepare for the democratic primary against Lance-Bottoms.