Rick Scott

The two Republicans running in the gubernatorial primary runoff in Georgia will not take the debate stage on Monday due to scheduling conflicts.

Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and healthcare CEO Rick Jackson secured the most votes during the May 19 midterm primary, but failed to reach a 50% majority, sending their race to a runoff on June 16.

In the ten days since election night, the two candidates have gone after one another for their failure to agree on a time to debate. Jones' team quickly agreed to a June 1 debate hosted by the Atlanta Press Club, while Jackson agreed to a June 14 debate hosted on Gray television stations across the state.

Now, Jackson has announced that rather than agree to the Monday debate, when candidates for other runoff races will also be hitting the Atlanta Press Club stage, he will be campaigning with Florida's Rick Scott.

The debate over a debate

On May 28, Jackson announced he would be holding a campaign event with Senator Rick Scott on Monday instead of attending the Atlanta Press Club debate. Officials for the debate confirmed Jackson had turned down the debate citing "scheduling conflicts."

The former governor of Florida quickly endorsed Jackson after the race was called for a runoff, calling Jackson a "rock solid conservative and successful businessman." Jackson said Scott has been a long-time friend of his, and Scott says he sees his own political rise being mirrored by Jackson.

"I know what it's like for a conservative outsider and a businessman to come in and shake things up to take the state to the next level - I did it in Florida, and Rick will do the same in Georgia," Scott said in his endorsement.

The decision to not participate in the June 1 debates comes after Jackson and Jones have been going back and forth, each accusing the other of avoiding a debate. Jones took the first shot accusing Jackson of being scared of a debate performance like the prior gubernatorial primary debate where Jackson answered "I don't know" to a question about whether he hired illegal immigrants to work at his Cumming property. Jackson responded to the accusation and said he had already accepted the June 14 debate, which would take place after early voting had already been completed.

Then, both candidates began posting counts of how many days had passed since the other had not accepted a debate.

It's unclear whether Jones will accept the June 14 debate invitation, or if voters will have to go into the runoff without a second debate between the two candidates.

Which debates will take place on May 31, June 1?

The gubernatorial candidates may not take the debate stage, but there are other races that will also be on the ballot on runoff day that have agreed to debates with the Atlanta Press Club.

Here are the debates that will take place at the beginning of next week:

Sunday, May 31

Public Service Commission, Republican, Bobby Mehan and Josh Tolbert: 9:45 to 10:15 a.m.

Secretary of State - Republican, Tim Fleming and Vernon Jones: 11:00 to 11:30 a.m.

U.S. Senate - Republican, Mike Collins and Derek Dooley: 12:45 to 1:15 p.m.

Secretary of State - Democrat, Dana Barrett and Penny Brown Reynolds: 1:45 to 2:15 p.m.

Lt. Governor - Republican, Greg Dolezal and John F. Kennedy: 3:00 to 3:30 p.m.

Lt. Governor - Democrat, Josh McLaurin and Nabilah Parkes: 4:15 to 4:45 p.m.

Monday, June 1

State School Superintendent, Republican, Fred "Bubba" Longgrear and Richard Woods: 9:30 to 10:00 a.m.

Labor Commissioner, Democrat, Nikki Porcher and Michelle "Michi" Sanchez: 10:45 to 11:15 a.m.

Insurance Commissioner, Democrat, Deandre Mathis and Keisha Waites: 11:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

Congressional District One, Democrat, Joyce Marie Griggs and Amanda Hollowell: 2:45 to 3:15 p.m.

Congressional District Eleven, Republican, Rob Adkerson and John Cowan: 4:00 to 4:30 p.m.

Fulton County Commission Chair, Mo Ivory and Robb Pitts: 5:00 to 5:30 p.m.

Irene Wright covers politics in Georgia as the Atlanta Connect reporter with USA Today’s Deep South Connect team. Find her on X @IreneEWright or email her at [email protected].