AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - The Higher Education Healthcare Initiative has released a new set of on-the-record interviews with both major candidates for Georgia governor.

The interviews focus specifically on the state’s health care workforce shortages and poor health outcomes.

In August and September, the initiative separately interviewed each candidate, asking both of them the same questions. The goal was to create a clear public record on an issue that consistently ranks among the top concerns for Georgia voters, but that has received limited detailed scrutiny on the campaign trail.

A recent WANF poll of Georgia voters found health care is a top-three issue in the race. Yet neither candidate had been systematically questioned about the state’s physician and nursing shortages or how they would define and measure progress in office.

Georgia currently ranks near the bottom nationally in the number of physicians and registered nurses per capita – a well-documented workforce crisis that will fall to the next governor to address.

Because the conversations were recorded separately, neither candidate saw the other’s answers or had a chance to respond. One candidate also used a portion of the allotted time to raise concerns about the other’s business background, without the opponent being able to answer directly. The initiative says that is a structural issue with the format and that it plans to refine the approach in any future series.

Time was another limitation. Each candidate had roughly 15 minutes, which led to broad themes and high-level talking points rather than detailed plans. Both campaigns made claims that were accurate and others that did not fully hold up under scrutiny. To help voters sort through the information, the Higher Education Healthcare Initiative is publishing fact checks and context alongside the full interviews.

Even with those constraints, organizers say it was important to start building a public record.

Putting the candidates’ answers in one place gives Georgians a baseline they can use to compare what is promised now with what actually happens after the next governor takes office.

It also signals to whoever wins that voters are watching closely and expect serious attention to the state’s health care challenges.

The interviews were co-produced and aired in partnership with WRDW and Gray Media.

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