Hello.

I'm Tina Tai, shore, anchor for Wsav-tv in Savannah.

Welcome to the Atlanta Press Club.

Loudermilk Young debate series from the studios of Georgia Public Broadcasting.

The 2026 debate series was made possible by grants to Atlanta Press Club.

From the author M Blank Family Foundation and the Robert Charles Loudermilk Foundation.

This is the debate for Republican candidates running for Congressional District one, congressional district one is in the corner of Southeast Georgia.

A cities include Savannah, Brunswick, Jesup and Waycross.

We have a. Two journalists who will question the candidates.

Margaret Coker is editor in chief of the current Georgia, which covers coastal Georgia, and Orlando Montoya is a news producer at Georgia Public Broadcasting.

I am going to kick.

Off today's debate, asking each of the candidates to introduce themselves and tell viewers why they should be the next congressperson representing district one.

Candidates will have 60s to introduce themselves.

We will go in alphabetical order, starting with Pat Farrell.

Hello, I'm Pat Farrell and I'm running because the families of the first Congressional District need reliable conservative, experienced representation in Washington, D.C.. I have graduated from Georgia Southern College with a mechanical engineering degree.

I've lived in the district my whole life.

I'm faithfully married for 36 years, father of three with three grandchildren.

I own multiple small businesses.

I'm a rancher.

I'm a farmer.

I'm a dock worker.

I've been a county commissioner for over 21 years, and I'm the only candidate that has elected experience to, to, to speak the conservative voice.

I support the president.

I support the Second Amendment.

I support pro-life, I support a balanced budget, term limits, strong national defense.

And I back all local, state and federal law enforcement.

Public safety is number one for Pat Farrell.

Up next, Jim Kingston.

, ladies and gentlemen, I believe our country is at a turning point.

President Trump's reelection back into the White House was like a life raft.

But it's not enough.

Our government is too big.

And the challenges are too severe for one man to do this alone.

I believe we need to pay less taxes, and we need to cut the red tape that is smothering our small businesses.

My name is Jim Kingston.

It is an honor to have the endorsement of my favorite president, Donald J. Trump.

But I'm more interested in having the endorsement of everybody in Southeast Georgia.

I'm going to work really hard to earn your vote.

And if I cannot earn it today, I promise we will sprint through the tape and do our best to earn it.

May 19 you can go to Jim kingston.org if you'd like to do more and learn more about me.

Thank you so much.

, Brian Montgomery.

You're next.

Thank you.

My name is Brian Montgomery.

I'm a Christian, a husband, a father, and a conservative Republican.

And for the last 23 years of my life, I've had the honor of wearing the uniform of the United States Army.

It's been a blessed life.

I've gone from college dropout to following a calling to serve, to the opportunity to attend West Point and graduate, serve as a paratrooper in the 82nd and retire from Fort Stewart, Georgia, right here in the district.

I've led soldiers in dangerous places under pressure and where excuses did not matter, results did.

Out of all those opportunities, though, the greatest opportunity I've had is to meet my wife and to raise a family right here in southeast Georgia.

Those experiences have taught me and shaped me as a leader.

Show up, listen and put mission and people before self.

And that's exactly what I've done the last eight months traveling the district.

I'm running because Georgia's first district deserves steady service.

First conservative representation service is not a light switch.

It's at election time.

It's a way of life.

Mr.

Montgomery, your time is up.

Krista Penn, it's your turn.

Good afternoon.

I'm Krista Penn, and I'm running for Congress because service is who I am.

After 9/11, I joined the United States Navy Nurse Corps because I am a patriot and I wanted to serve this country.

I've also served over 20 years as a civilian nurse and a health care leader.

I'm a former small business owner, and I'm married to a federal law enforcement agent.

I deployed to Afghanistan, where I held the hands of our dying soldiers and washed the blood off their bodies.

You don't need another career politician.

You need somebody who understands service and sacrifice and is willing to truly represent you.

Up in Washington.

Vote Krista Penn May 19th.

Thank you.

Kandiss Taylor.

Please introduce yourself.

Right now, families back in my district are experiencing the most devastating wildfires that's ever hit the state of Georgia.

Brantley County has been overcome, and almost 100 homes have already burned to the ground.

It's moving into Wayne County and Glenn County.

And it's these times that we look and we realize what's really important, which is life and our families and our community and being together as one people.

We need someone who understands the area.

I'm Kandiss Taylor.

I've lived in Georgia's first district, my family, for five generations.

I have three children.

I have a husband.

We both serve in public education.

I spent 24 years fighting for abuse children.

I have a PhD in counseling.

I have four degrees.

Actually.

I believe in education.

I believe that education is the way to the future.

I also believe in a constitutional republic that we should protect at all cost.

I'm in this race because I'm your fighter.. And now we hear from our final candidate this afternoon.

Eugene Yu.

I'm hopefully future Congressman Eugene Yu.

I'm here to praying and hoping from the bottom of my heart.

I want to earn your vote.

I was a firefighter.

I was a U.S.

Army veteran.

I was a deputy sheriff, a law enforcement, and also a job creator.

I was doing my business for the last 20 years.

Now I'm ready to serve my constituents.

America somehow, most other politicians that lost.

What they need to be.

I want the true statement.

I want to serve my country, my district.

People need it right?

Representation Eugene Yu you for you.

Thank you.

For the full set of debate rules, please visit Atlanta Press club.org.

We'll now go to the panel starting with Orlando Montoya, who will ask a question for everyone to answer.

And once again, you have 60s candidates for your response candidates.

What's causing the high cost of living and inflation, and how will you work to address those problems?

We will begin with.

Mr.. You.

Inflation.

Yes, we we are dealing with every day.

I think the central bank continuously printing the money.

But most important thing that China is sabotaging and doing the interfering with the U.S.

Bond market.

And that makes that our inflation goes up, which a lot of American people.

They just don't are aware of.

And we must.

Win this stop.

I mean, go finish this war with Iran and ultimately the will that China will cooperate with the U.S.

Then I think that we will get the inflation under control.

Kandiss Taylor your response.

Affordability is the number one issue I hear about as I travel all 15 counties across Georgia's first congressional district.

People don't have money to buy buy groceries.

They can't pay their bills.

They definitely can't buy a new home.

We see young couples that don't even want to have a child right now, because they don't know how they can afford formula and diapers.

And the number one thing that has caused this is the housing market driving up housing from big financial institutions that have been coming in and buying singular homes and reselling them at astronomical prices.

We have to get that under control very quickly.

My favorite president, Donald Trump, not Joe Biden, who some people call Uncle Joe.

He is the one that is doing the tariffs and the long term that's going to help, but we need resolution right now and quickly because our people in the first district, they are struggling very, very hard right now to make ends meet.

We need help now.

Krista Penn your response now?

Well, inflation is something that was inherited from the previous administration, but things that help can reduce inflation are cutting government waste and irresponsible spending.

We need to increase American independence for energy, because that will help drive down the cost of fuel.

And that's something that's directly affecting people's pocketbooks right now, because they can't afford to put gas in their cars.

That also drives up the cost of other things like groceries and other things that people need, because the cost of fuel increases, the cost of products coming from other industries.

So we need to focus on reducing the waste and energy independence.

Brian Montgomery your next.

Listen.

Affordability impacts every hard working American that lives in the first district, and it hits everybody, whether it's in health care, groceries, gas, you name it.

Insurance costs.

Everybody is feeling that impact.

And I'll tell you, the number one issue that has led to this much inflation and the pressure that people are feeling is reckless government spending, a failure of oversight for representatives to actually look for the fraud, waste and abuse that exists in our government and pounding down on it.

That's number one.

Second, we need to reduce regulatory costs.

We have small businesses that are working harder, overwhelmed by law speak and regulations that impact their ability to grow their business.

We need to strengthen our domestic supply chains.

We need to work on our energy production inside this country.

And what I've learned across the last eight months is the consolidation that is existing across major industries, whether it be health care, agriculture, public safety or food.

We need to stop the consolidation and bring transparency and competition back.

Jim Kingston well, first of all, I want to point out that it gives me a lot of hope that the Democrat Party is ready to talk about inflation for four years under Joe Biden, inflation never came up.

Now that Trump is president, they're interested in getting the cost of living down.

I think that's progress.

I think that's a good thing.

I think the best way to restore money back in people's wallets is to cut taxes.

I would support a flat tax.

I would support a fair tax.

But really any step towards tax simplification is a step in the right direction.

You work hard for your dollar.

Let's not let Uncle Sam spend it because time and time again they've proven they don't know what they're doing with our money.

Pat Farrell please respond.

As a small business owner for over 40 years, I've witnessed firsthand what inflation does to the business economy.

How do we get Ahold of it?

Well, first of all, the first thing we did was get rid of the Democratic administration that ran inflation up to nearly 10%.

Hasn't been that bad since Jimmy Carter ran it up to 18-20 1% inflation in a year, which is horrible for all the American families.

We have to get our waste, fraud and abuse out of the government.

Doge is a good thing.

I support it and I would double down on it if I was your congressman.

Also, petroleum products are what runs this country, whether it's diesel fuel, jet fuel, gasoline, you name it.

That's the bottom line.

Everything that we buy is part of that equation.

We've got to work on getting our Petro cost as low as possible.

Our panel will now ask a question to an individual candidate.

We'll start with Margaret Coker asking a question for Krista Penn.

Once again, you have 60s for your response.

Miss Penn, as a Navy veteran and a veteran nurse and health care worker, it seems to me that you should be a front runner for this race, given the fact that health care is one of the most important topics that I keep hearing voters talk about all the time.

However, our congressional district has never elected a woman.

Is there a bias against Republican women in the First Congressional District?

And what does being a female candidate bring to your advantage?

You are correct.

There has never been a female congressional representative for the first district in its 250 year history, and there are approximately half of the people in this district and across this country that are women.

And when I've been traveling across the district, I've been speaking to large women's groups.

They're the ones that are turning out and wanting to hear from their congressional candidates.

So I believe it's important that we have more representation in Congress.

I also agree health care is a main concern.

One of the main concerns cost of health care.

We need to reduce the cost of health care in this country.

And I believe that we can do that by focusing on preventative care, keeping people out of hospitals in the first place, expanding access to care in our rural communities and ensuring that we support insurance competition across state lines.

Thank you.

Orlando Montoya, please ask your question for Candace Taylor.

Miss Taylor, you ran unsuccessfully for governor in 22.

What did you learn from that campaign that makes you think you could be successful in this campaign?

Well, I've learned a lot.

In four years.

I served for two years as the Georgia Republican Party's first district chair.

I spent a lot of time in all 15 counties hearing from the people and what the people want.

I ran a grassroots campaign when I ran in 2022.

I had over 50,000 volunteers, and I received 41-0 0-0 votes.

Make that make sense?

We still have the same voting system in this state, so we've had some good legislation that's been passed, and hopefully we'll get a fair legal election this time around.

But I know that the people are with me.

And if we had true polling numbers being shown, you would see that the people are ready for change.

They're ready for a woman because it's the right woman, not because I'm a female, but they're ready for somebody that's a fighter.

They're tired of being ignored by aristocrats that think this is a dynasty and a monarchy, and a chosen seat.

They're sick of that.

They want someone who's going to represent them.

And I'm the one.

Margaret, it is now your turn to ask a question for Brian Montgomery.

Mr.

Montgomery, you've said in previous candidate forums that you hope to get elected to support President Trump's agenda.

Yet as a West Point graduate, you've also sworn an oath to defend the Constitution.

There are many people in the Republican Party who believe that President Trump has broken the Constitution.

Do you see a contradiction between that oath you swore and what you would do as a congressman to support the president's agenda?

Great question.

So the main thing that we need to look at is that there is a lot of attention on whether or not the president is broke, the Constitution he has not, plain and simple.

He breaks.

He breaks ground.

He pushes hard to ensure that he serves the American people.

And that's exactly what he's done.

You know, when you look at my support for the president and his America First policies, you know, closing the border, which he did extremely successfully, bringing back manufacturing back to the United States, focused on the American worker and building our strength and respect across the world.

That's why I say I respect and support the president of the United States.

But make no mistake, for 23 years of service in the uniform, I swore an oath to the Constitution to protect and defend that document.

And the Constitution will always be my redline when elected.

If elected as your next representative.

Orlando, you may now ask Jim Kingston.

Mr.

Kingston, as you noted earlier, you are the Trump endorsed candidate in this race.

Mr.

Trump called you a, quote, very successful businessman and civic leader.

However, your campaign website does not have an in-depth bio.

But what you've done.

So my question to you is what successful business is he referring to and what civic organizations do you belong to?

Sure.

Thank you.

My biggest civic organization is the Republican Party.

I would say I've been a lifelong Republican, and I'm very proud of my conservative credentials.

As far as my business background goes, I work for the number one insurance brokerage in the world.

I've been promoted three times in seven years.

That doesn't just happen by anything other than hard work.

I'm proud of my work ethic and it's done me well in this campaign.

But being in business, it's given me the opportunity to meet a lot of people electricians, plumbers, contractors, folks with liabilities, folks, folks with risk that I sell insurance to.

It's given me the chance to hear a lot of stories.

And one common theme I have always heard in business is people are fed up with Washington, D.C.

I'll be a different type of candidate, and I'm going to be a different type of member of Congress.

Margaret, it is now your turn to ask Eugene Yu.

Mr.. You you seem to personify the phrase hope springs eternal.

You have run for Congress in at least four different districts, and you've lost four times.

What makes this time different?

Well, I'm I don't want to give up.

I want to continue to fight because what I've see in my previous firemen as a military, as a law enforcement and the business, and somehow in American the politics, they just don't understand what's going on around the world.

They just completely are naive.

And I want to bring it to the, the what's what really goes on in the around the world.

And I want the really to make the make America strong again, make America affordable again, because I am cared about this country because this country has been good to me.

And before I get too old, I want to pay my.

The country I so much.

I love the freedom.

American dream.

Still exists.

Thank you and very much.

Orlando.

A police asked the last question of this round for Pat Farrell.

Mr.

Farrell, your primary experience as a public servant has been.

As County Commissioner.

How does that experience prepare you for Congress?

County commissioners are at the local level.

Anything that's not accomplished at the federal level or the state level rolls downhill right to the local level.

We catch all the issues that are not solved before they get there.

We're involved in public safety, roads, bridges, libraries, you name it.

Anything fire, police, law enforcement, county commissioners wear a hat where they have to fund and direct the constitutional officers and keep the county running.

Without a good county commissioner, your county is going to experience difficulties, whether it's economic development, workforce development, or what have you, simply by going from one county to representing 15 counties.

I'm the guy who's ready to move forward and experience a larger stage and serve more people, candidates.

Thank you.

That concludes our first round.

The candidates will now ask a question to an opponent of their choice.

You will have 30s to ask the question, 60s to respond.

And the person who asked the question will get 32nd rebuttal, and we will begin with Jim Jim Kingston.

You get the first question for one of your opponents this afternoon.

Thank you so much.

Eugene Yu.

You and I are friends.

We go back a long way.

You've been a veteran.

You've been a small business owner.

Now you're running for Congress.

I think you love this country the way I do.

I talk a lot about the American dream.

I want to know.

Tell me about your experience in the American Dream, because I think you're living proof that it's alive and well.

Well, thank you for your comment, Jim.

Yes.

The you and I, we've been we've been going a long time.

We've been friends.

Um, I believe American dream still exists.

Just people.

They just don't understand what a great country we live on.

Look at me.

The the the little boy came from America not knowing how to speak in English.

Become a firefighter, become army veteran, become law enforcement, become international business, exporting the Cummins Engine company.

Then later I started my own business.

That's the only thing happening in America and I am living as American dream just myself is American Dream.

So I want the people that know about who Eugene Yu is.

Thank you.

Jim Kingston your response to what Mr.

You has said?

Thank you for that.

That is very inspiring and I hope that everybody back home is listening and knowing that they too can thrive in this country, despite their background and despite where they are from.

Thank you Jim.

Now, Brian Montgomery, please ask your question to one of your opponents.

Thank you Jim.

I've lived a tremendous life of service to this country, and it has put me in leadership roles, and I've learned a ton, mostly through my failures.

My question is to you is through your experiences, what have you seen as your biggest setback or challenge that you faced, and how has that prepared you?

And what are you going to take forward as a possible next representative for the district?

Yeah, that's a great, great question, Brian.

Thank you.

Uh, one of the challenges I see is we have failed and I have failed as a lifelong Republican, getting our people out to vote.

You know, I called my friends, I knock on doors, I have phone bank.

I have put in a lot of yard signs for people that did not have my name on it.

Um, but, you know, it's not enough.

We need to keep working hard.

As Georgia turns blue and we get more and more competitive.

We need Republicans to turn out and vote.

I feel that I have failed, Brian here, and they're getting my friends to participate in politics.

I think this is very important, and this is a very important time in our country.

Brian, what's your response to Jim Kingston?

Uh.

Jim, I definitely appreciate that.

And that effort that you've put into building the Republican Party and getting right representation in the district, you know, personally, myself, I've been in situations where people's lives are on the line, been overran in Haiti when we were trying to distribute aid to those after the earthquake in Haiti, every single instance, what I've learned from those experiences that you have to continue to build teams, you have to answer the hard questions of what went wrong.

Own it, face accountability, and then move on to do the next right thing.

But I appreciate your answer and the focus on the Republican Party.

Thank you.

We are moving on.

Now it is your turn to ask a question now.

Pat Farrell.

Thank you, Candice.

It is good to see you again at yet another event.

I am sure you are shocked like me to see the Atlanta candidate here.

My question for you is why do you think the Atlanta candidate has refused to appear at any of the candidate forums?

Do you think it is because he will be asked about living in Atlanta, or do you think it's because he is scared to answer questions about coming from a family of lobbyists that represent foreign countries?

Great question Pat, and you and I are the only two up here that's lived in the first district all of our life.

Right?

So it's fitting that we have to address someone who doesn't live in the district.

In fact, I checked the voter registration.

He moved here in, changed it in May, right before he announced to be back in Savannah.

So, you know, all I can speak to is facts.

And the facts are that we have a candidate in the race who's not shown up for anything.

And the other five of us have been showing up day after day with the people.

And the people of the first district are smart people.

I'm the only candidate that's not from Chatham County.

I'm from Baxley.

Miss Shaw didn't mention Baxley at the beginning, but Baxley, Georgia is in the first district.

Five generations.

My family has been there and we want to be heard.

And we're going to be heard this time.

I'm the only candidate from rural coastal Georgia, and we are not interested in any establishment monarchy hack.

Taking our seat.

Mr.

Ferrer, your rebuttal now?

Well, I guess his handlers have kept him on a short leash and insisted that he avoid public events and just stick to the filming of commercials while the rest of us work hard to get out into the district and to meet all the voters possible, you owe it to your family and yourself and your supporters and your donors to absolutely go for it.

Don't hold back.

Let the truth be your friend.

Jim Kingston Pat Farrell is referring to you.

What is your response to what he has said here this afternoon?

And also what you've heard from Candace.

You will have 30s to respond.

Well, I understand desperate candidates say desperate things, so I'm not going to get caught up.

Look, our state is getting more and more competitive.

My my car tag has always said Chatham County.

My phone number has always said 912.

You know, do not believe what you read and what you think, uh, is right in front of you because you're probably wrong on this one.

Um, I will say this though, as far as me going places in the campaign I've run, I've had over 200 volunteers sign up on my website.

I've been endorsed by over 50 elected officials in this district.

Everything from the mayor of Tybee Island, who you represent.

Pat.

Your time is up.

Thank you.

Kandiss Taylor.

You are next with your question to one of your opponents.

Sure.

The counties in Georgia's first district are fighting Silicon Valley solar panel farms, data centers.

And while we've been fighting hard at county commissioner meetings and in the streets, Fox News reported that you took $1.5 million from Silicon Valley to push their agenda.

How could anyone in Georgia's First district trust you to protect their interest when you've been paid millions to go against the people?

Well, once again, that's not true.

I haven't been paid millions of dollars, 90% of my donations are from the state of Georgia.

Half of my donations are from people who've never given a political contribution before.

I've also received a donation from all 15 counties in Georgia's first district.

This stuff doesn't happen.

It happens by doesn't happen magically.

It does happen by you going out, meeting people, getting to know folks and make the case.

And by the way, some of these folks have made the case to, uh, have heard from the other candidates and still chose to support me.

Kandiss Taylor from Baxley, your rebuttal.

Thank you.

Tina.

So I guess we'll expect a lawsuit on Fox News for a line that you took $1.5 million because they literally reported that.

However, I will say that the people, the first district, are the ones saying they're tired of the money.

They're tired of this.

They don't you don't show up.

You say you're going to go to this GOP meeting, this GOP meeting, Camden County, where county, Glenn County, and you don't show.

And anybody can go and talk to GOP chair and prove it.

So you saying you are for the Republican Party is a joke.

Mr.. You you may now ask a question to one of your opponents.

Can I ask myself.

Don't you have a question for sure?

You do.

For one of your opponents.

I mean, I like all my opponent, you know, my Republican candidate.

I like them all.

Ask yourself, however, I want to ask myself.

Go straight ahead.

Are you keep running to the US Congress?

Well, I got one issue.

I cannot see my own eyes.

All these other countries, so-called ally, are abusing the America our.

When I get elected, the US Congress, first thing my legislate doing the Congress.

I want to put in paper.

We Americans need to get out of the United nation.

We want to get out of NATO.

We need to re check all these so-called allies and we need to take care of American.

First.

We don't want to.

Wasting all that money to oversee.

We need to take care of our own money.

That's why I'm running.

AM I right, Eugene?

Yes, I am right.

Krista Penn.

You are next.

You have the last question of this round for one of your opponents.

So, Jim, I've spent over two decades serving this country.

I've served patients, and there's others here who have served our country for over 20 years.

What are you going to do if you're elected to Congress to truly serve the people back in the first district?

Well, thank you, Miss Penn.

And I guess we know who everyone deems as the front runner.

Since I got the majority of questions.

Uh, listen here though, um, thank you for your service.

It's an honor to be on stage with three veterans.

To me, you all paid the ultimate sacrifice.

And it is our job as members of Congress and political people to make sure that when y'all come back home, y'all have access to the greatest health care in the world.

The VA is doing much better.

Under Secretary Doug Collins, who Trump appointed and is a proud Georgian.

But we need to make sure that when veterans go visit those clinics and those hospitals, it's efficient and y'all have access to affordable and strong health care.

And your response, Krista.

I agree with what you've said about supporting the VA system and ensuring that our veterans get the care that they need.

But having a health care background and understanding what it really means to make decisions that significantly impact people's lives, I think is very important in order to ensure that we are making the right decisions for our veterans.

Thank you.

You are watching the Republican primary debate for Congressional District one.

We'll now go back to the panel, who will ask questions to the candidates of their choice.

Until we run out of time, we begin with Margaret Coker.

Mr.

Kingston, I'm directing my question to you.

Not because you are the purported frontrunner, but because you have not answered our reporters questions as we've been calling you for weeks.

I'm going to start with the basic one.

There's a widespread perception as we travel through the 15 counties of the first Congressional District, that you are trading on your father's name to get elected.

Your father has been a very successful lobbyist for several years, because you don't show up at county debates, because you don't answer questions.

Why should voters trust that you are going to serve them and not your father's lobby clients?

Well, first of all, I don't accept the premise that I don't talk to the press.

I talk to the coastal carrier in Hinesville the other day.

I've talked to the Baxley newspaper.

I've talked to the Darien News.

I've been on the Bob Morgan Show and Jesup.

It's not true saying that I don't talk to the press.

So I do want to correct that.

And look, I love my dad.

I had a great dad.

I have a great mom, a great grandmother, four great nephews and a beautiful niece.

Birdie.

But this isn't about my family, Margaret.

This is about every other family in Georgia.

I am not hiding who I am or what I stand for, but what I did learn as a child from my parents is how to work hard.

I brought that mentality from to me to the private sector, and I'll bring it to the public sector as well.

We are moving on now.

Orlando Montoya, please ask your question.

My question is for all the candidates.

Does the federal government have a responsibility to make sure that all Americans have health care coverage?

And we will begin on the side closest to me.

Pat Farrell.

The federal government, according to the Constitution, have certain parameters that they are responsible for.

I do not recall them being responsible for health care for all Americans.

The good news is that at the county level and at the local level, all folks in this country that show up at a hospital get treated for whatever their ailment is.

So there is a safety net out there.

But as far as the federal government being mandated to provide health insurance, I believe that is a Democratic National Committee priority to bend the rules and the guidance from our founding fathers.

I believe that the local level is the best place to solve most problems.

And so did the Founding Fathers.

Thank you.

Jim Kingston your thoughts?

Yeah.

As a member of Congress, I'm going to support any market driven health care solutions.

And I agree with what was just said when it comes to Medicaid.

It's meant to be a safety net, not a lifestyle.

We want to help those in need.

And that's what our federal government is for.

But it is not meant to be taken advantage of.

Our health care and our health insurance systems have been taken advantage of time and time again.

As a member of Congress, I would support efforts to get rid of rid of the waste, fraud and abuse.. Brian Montgomery your thoughts?

Thank you.

Listen, health care is critically important to just about everybody.

I spoke with.

Families are worried about their premiums, prescription drug costs, deductibles and bills.

You know what, what I've seen throughout is we have physicians and health care providers that want to provide service to the patients, and we have patients that are seeking health care.

And then there's this middleman there that's preventing that from occurring.

So I do believe that federal government has a responsibility to open up the market.

We need to include price transparency.

We need to work hard to increase competition across the health care market.

We need to support rural health through telehealth and making sure that we have providers there.

But more importantly, when it comes to health care, the most critical thing we can do is get providers interested in being a part of the health care system, and that's incentivizing physicians, nurses who are critical to our health care to work in rural environments and get more of these health care providers into the system.

Krista Penn, please share your response.

So I agree with Brian that we do need some federal programs to help support health care, but we don't want health care run by the federal government.

We have that in the VA system.

And look at all of the issues that we've had over the years.

It's starting to get better.

But part of that is because they're partnering with civilian health care organizations to provide care.

We also don't want it because if you see it up in Canada, I work with people who lived in Canada because I live near the border at one point, and they would come down to the U.S.

And pay with a credit card for care because they were waiting too long up there.

And I know someone personally that had a brain tumor that had to wait four months for surgery.

We don't want that here in the United States.

So we we need to encourage driving down the cost of care, preventative care, expanding into rural communities and, and taking care of the waste, fraud and abuse.

Kandiss Taylor, it's your turn.

Capitalism built America and capitalism will be what saves America.

And that includes health care.

Anytime the government gets involved, they ruin things.

And it started with Obamacare, Affordable Care Act.

They ruined health care.

We have local communities like mine that the hospital about goes bankrupt, and then we'd have nowhere to go when we have a true emergency.

And that comes to my point.

We need a trauma center at the emergency room that treats a ingrown toenail or a fever, not just going in and spending thousands of dollars on an emergency room visit.

There are simple common sense solutions to health care that no one is doing.

No one cares to listen to.

We're just going behind the eight ball, just fighting from behind.

We need to be proactive in fixing this problem.

And like I said, it starts with capitalism.

And so the Democrats, I listened to their debate while ago and then pushing for universal health care.

Who's going to pay for it?

We're trillions of dollars in debt.

How are we going to pay for it?

Nobody thinks about how to pay for it.

They just like to talk about it.

And now your response?

Eugene Yu.

Thank you.

Um, I'm pretty much agree with all my Republican candidate, but however, however, my focus is if we watch wasteful money, wasteful spending, especially illegal, we got so many millions and millions of illegal immigrants in this country, and they're taking all this advantage out of our great health program, which draining our resources.

So we need to focus on trying to get rid of all these illegal immigrants, taking care, take advantage out of our health care system.

Of course, in our rural first district, yes, people need Medicare and the federal government and state government and local government.

We need more cooperation, understanding what's going on, and we need help to the people.

Thank you.

Margaret Coker, we go back to you.

My question is for Mr.

Montgomery.

This current Congress has declined to debate or hold any hearings about the current military operations in Iran.

My question is, do you support that position as a member of Congress?

What would you do in order to hold the Defense Department and the White House responsible for putting our troops in danger overseas?

Yeah.

So another great question.

Thank you very much.

Listen, I supported the strikes on Iran when the president made that decision.

Now, I don't know what the Intel he received to do that.

But I do know how evil the Iranian regime was.

We lost our first casualty in my second deployment to Iraq, to Iranian provided weapons system.

They have been causing death and destruction throughout the Middle East for well over four decades.

And it needed to stop.

And the president took action to do that.

Now, that initial action and the Intel that he got absolutely correct.

But from here on out, before we put any soldiers into Iran or continue the operation, this discussion needs to go back to Congress, and it needs to be debated, and it needs to have the support of the American people.

There is only one thing worse that we can do than breaking our contract with our veterans after they've served, and that's not having the discussion that needs to take place to give them a clear mission and a clear outcome, and the resources required to accomplish that mission.

I would like now to use my moderator privilege.

Panelists, if you will, to ask a question of the candidates.

Both parties in this race have expressed concern over crime rates in Savannah and Brunswick.

While some call for a strict federal background checks and even red flag laws, others argue that the focus should be on mental health and our school security.

Knowing that you must represent both urban and rural interests, what gun measures, what gun measures would you be willing to enact at the federal level, if any at all?

And I will begin with Mr.. You.

That was a very good question that, um, I am former law enforcement than, um, actually, when I was a deputy, I was a patrolling the street that um, I do know about all this crime going on.

Yes.

The street safety is very, very important.

However, I think the common sense in the people, this all relating to the economic when the people have a job, people have to do work.

And instead of working, they're not going to get in trouble.

So again, your question, the gun.

Yes, we have, I believe, Second Amendment, but we need a certain amount of background check.

But again, I mean, that is our Constitution.

You I mean, I believe in Second Amendment.

So there's there's nothing we can do more than we just continue on what we have.

Kandiss Taylor share your thoughts.

Yeah, absolutely.

No, to that question.

I would not enact more gun laws at all because guns don't kill people.

Sick people kill people.

There's a sick man last night that came in and tried to kill our president.

It shouldn't happen in America, but it does because mental health is out of control and just Georgia 12 years ago, we released 9,000 inpatient treatment individuals on the street.

And all of them are either still homeless or incarcerated or dead.

That's a problem.

We need inpatient treatment.

We need it quick.

We're seeing I work in public education.

We're seeing increased numbers of suicidal ideation and suicidal attempts in youth.

I think social media plays a big part into that.

But how we regulate that is through threat assessments and it's through armed guards at our schools.

And they say, oh, that don't look good.

People don't come into a building they know armed and shooter doesn't come in there.

If he knows he's going to be taken out.

And so we have to be diligent and vigilant about protecting the children.

But we don't do that by restricting people who have the right to carry and protect them, protect their families.

Now we turn to Krista Penn for your response.

I'm a strong Second Amendment supporter.

I believe that we need to enforce the laws that we already have in place, and we need to do that by supporting and backing our local and federal law enforcement agents.

We need to continue to support Immigration and Customs Enforcement, because some of the contribution to the crime in our areas is a result of illegal immigration, and we need to continue to attack that problem as well.

I agree that if communities aren't safe, then people don't.

They can't focus on their work.

They can't focus on taking care of their families.

So it does need to be a priority.

But we need to support our law enforcement so that they can do their job.

Brian Montgomery.

I fully support the Second Amendment.

And Krista, you're absolutely right.

The issue is not more rules and more regulations.

It's enforcing the laws that we have on the books right now.

And that's exactly what our law enforcement is doing every single day.

I've had the opportunity to meet with police chiefs, county sheriffs, and the men and women that protect our communities are putting their lives in harm's way every single day for you.

And they need the support.

And where that comes from is when they're arrested, when they're, you know, they're arrested and go in front of the court system.

We need a court system that actually holds them accountable.

The amount of times that I've walked in and seen an arrest sheet from the past 30 days of how many of them were dismissed, and they never faced the consequences for their actions, that needs to be fixed.

Secondly, the mental health issues that we have in this country are real.

And if you look around to all the jails, over 50% of the population are mental health cases that need the right support in order to help them out.

I fully support the Second Amendment.

I fully support our law enforcement, and we just need to hold people accountable for their actions.

And Jim Kingston you're next.

Yeah.

Thank you.

I'm not in favor of any measurement that would punish law abiding citizens.

I support the Second Amendment.

I support gun rights.

But I also backed the badge of the over 50 elected officials that I mentioned earlier supporting me in this campaign.

I have 11 of the 12 Republican sheriffs helping me.

Those guys know that I support law and order.

We need law and order restored in this country.

I'm proud supporter of the Second Amendment, and I will not waver on the right to bear arms if I am a member of Congress.

And Pat Farrell.

Thank you.

We do not need any more federal level gun control.

The books are loaded from the federal, state and local level.

This.

This is a concept that the Democratic National Party is putting out there.

We see what happens in a country like Iran, where the citizens are stripped of all rights to carry any kind of firearms.

We just lost 40-50 thousand of their citizens due to their very corrupt government assassinating that many citizens to keep them under control.

The reason we have the Second Amendment is to keep a rogue government from overtaking our country.

So I will not support any more federal regulation.

Having been a county Commissioner, I understand the issues of gun violence, but it takes the cooperation of the elected local officials.

The governor, the district attorney, the police department and the police chiefs to enforce all the laws that are on the books.

And they should have consequences when criminals take action that is against the law.

Candidates.

Thank you.

We turn now to Orlando.

It's your turn with another question.

Question for the candidates.

Is the current Congress exercising enough legislative power to check the executive?

And is that good or bad for the country?

We will begin with Pat Farrell.

Thank you.

There are certain enumerated duties of the three branches of government.

It appears that there's a lot of elected officials at many different levels, including Congress, that kicked the can over to either bureaucracy or somebody else to do their job.

It is time for elected officials to stand up and have the backbone to do what they're supposed to do.

That includes Congress and many other different offices as being an elected official for 64 year terms.

I understand the consequences of certain elected officials not holding the bureaucracy in order and delegating their regulations and their interpretations to, to, to lifelong bureaucrats.

Jim Kingston your response?

Yeah.

Thank you.

The president knows what exactly what he's doing.

He's got all the lawyers in the world to help guide him.

We've seen this president get shot at three times.

We've also seen him be impeached time and time again for no reason.

If he stepped out of bounds, we would hear about it.

But you know what?

Time and time again, President Trump survives.

He is by far the most effective president in my lifetime.

He is shaking up a town that absolutely needs to be shaken up.

I'm proud to support President Trump, and I'm proud that President Trump supports me.

Brian Montgomery you're next.

Thank you.

I've retired from the military.

I transitioned into the private sector, and this is my first jump into politics.

I didn't dip my toes in it.

I jumped in head first and yelled, Cannonball!

On the way down!

But over the last eight months, moving around the district and speaking to families, what I've learned is that very few people participate in this process.

I don't know if it's just overwhelm of election cycle after election cycle, but what we're doing is we continue to send the same people up to Washington, D.C.

They're either in it for themselves to get rich.

They're in it to become influencers and raise their name population.

But what I'd like to ask to get the real work done that you need done for you, a government that works for you and not against you is pay attention to this process, seek out information and vote for the candidate that you believe will best represent you.

And Krista Penn your next.

I think Congress is broken, and one of the reasons that I felt called to step into this race is because of that, because it is time for us to move the career politicians out.

It's time to get back to, uh, for the people, by the people.

And I signed the pledge for term limits.

I think that we need to go up there.

People who have real broad life experience to serve and truly serve the people back down in their district.

That's why it's called the House of Representatives.

I think we've gotten too far away from that government, too many government shutdowns.

Congress doesn't care about the people anymore back down in their district, and that needs to change.

Kandiss Taylor, it's your turn.

Yeah, I'm going to try to answer the question.

So I do not think that the legislative branch needs to push back on the executive branch.

I think that the legislative branch needs to wake up and do their job, which is codifying the wonderful things that our president has done since he's been back in office.

And I'm very concerned that we have a Republican majority in the House and the Senate, and they can't get the job done.

Their approval rating is in the ditch.

And the reason why is because we have weak politicians in office making themselves rich, being foreign, dealing with foreign nations like lobbyists, dealing with their own people and not dealing with the people back at home that elected them to do a job.

And so if we don't get the lobbyists out of the pockets of the politicians, we're never going to see change.

We're going to go completely broke.

And finally, Eugene Yu, you're.

Doing the election most candidates, are they talking good about when they're going to get elected?

Guess what?

Every politician go to Washington.

They become become Washington swamp because they're looking for their personal interests, special interests, lobbyists are running those congressmen.

And my Eugene Yu, when you elect me, I don't know nobody in Washington.

You elect me.

I represent you.

I will fight for you.

I will defend and protecting your constitution.

And I will do every possible way to protect your interests.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Margaret, do you have one last question?

Thank you.

I have a question for Kandiss Taylor.

Miss Taylor.

Uh, former Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has broken with President Trump on some very important issues.

And there's a widespread debate right now about what America First actually means.

My question to you is, are there any decisions that President Trump has made in his second term that you disagree with?

And what does America First actually mean to you?

Marjorie, I've met numerous times, but I'm not her.

I am Kandiss Taylor and I love Jesus with all of my heart.

And I'm going to go and protect our values that I hold dear.

And the president has done a phenomenal job.

Is he perfect?

Absolutely not.

He is my president.

He is not my savior.

And I'm not going to agree with him all the time.

But I'm going to unify this party, and I'm going to fight as hard as I can to get the Republican agenda passed.

Candace, I want to stop you there.

I appreciate your time.

We are running out of time.

That's all the time that we have for questions.

Now, the candidates will have 60s for closing statement.

Krista Penn, we start with you.

As I said before, Congress is broken and you deserve something different.

And I feel that I can bring that to this seat.

And first and foremost, I want you to know that I don't believe that this seat belongs to Washington.

I believe it belongs to you, the people of the first District of Georgia.

I've worked in healthcare for over 20 years, so I know and understand it.

I've served this country for over 20 years, so I understand military and veteran issues.

I've been married to a federal law enforcement officer for over 20 years and have lived experience, not talking points.

I believe that I can truly serve you and be the voice that you're needing to represent you up in Washington.

Vote Krista Penn May 19.

Early voting starts on Tuesday.

Thank you.

Pat Farrell.

You're next.

Thank you.

I'm the candidate that can not only talk the talk, but I can walk the walk.

I'm the only experienced elected official running in this race.

I know what it takes to get things done.

I've worked in a county that's 60% or better Democrat, and I still was able to get things done.

That's not a skill you can learn on the internet or go to college for, or get handed down by a family member.

That's just raw experience as a small businessman, a rancher, a farmer.

I'm the guy who's lived the life, who's done the work, and I'm ready to go represent because I have been representing one county.

I'm ready for all 15 sen Pat Farrell to Congress.

Eugene Yu.

Yes.

Every generation of American has had to fight for freedom, and our generation is no exception.

The difference today, our greatest enemy is not a foreign government or terrorist group.

The dual threat to the American freedom is the lack of understanding of the meaning of freedom in the hearts and minds of American public policy, deployed by elected officer.

Continue to put out.

And they lost the sight of why America is great.

Yes, America is great.

Your time has ended.

Thank you.

Jim Kingston.

Ladies and gentlemen, our Founding Fathers brilliantly set up the Constitution to have three separate but equal branches of government.

While I'm proud to support President Trump, he can't do this alone.

We need strong soldiers in the legislative branch.

Donald Trump needs more allies in Congress.

I'm proud to stand with President Trump, but I would also be proud to stand with you and 50 other elected officials and 150 other volunteers who have offered to phone, bank and knock on doors.

The next three weeks.

On my website, please go to Jim kingston.org.

We are building a coalition of the willing, and we will not stop until next November.

The stakes are too high to slow down and the consequences are too severe.

Thank you for your time and thank you, Georgia Public Broadcasting for having me.

Brian Montgomery it's your turn.

You know, Jim, you said something there.

I think it's the first time that I've really agreed with you.

The district does need a soldier.

That's all right.

You said it.

Your heart said it before I walked out on stage today.

I talked to my team, and I said I never imagined.

When I was walking in waist high sewage water in Iraq that I would have an opportunity to be on a debate stage, to fight to be the representative for the first district.

We live in, district that's truly blessed.

The defends America drives the American economy, and it feeds America.

And it deserves a warrior that is going to get out, show up, listen and fight for you every single day.

And that's exactly what I've done.

And if you're ready for that type of service to be your representative, I ask for your vote starting tomorrow in Election Day on May 19th.

I'd be honored to receive your vote.

Thank you.

And Kandiss Taylor, you're next.

Okay.

Thank you for everyone who's watching.

And I want to just say this race is about a clear choice, more of the same, more insiders, monarchy type establishment, the money control and everything.

Somebody said, we're desperate.

I am desperate not to be in this seat, but to protect the freedom of my children and yours.

I'm desperate to stop the fiscal bleed that America is experiencing until we're completely abolished.

I'm running in this race because I love the Georgia's first district with all of my heart.

And I'm asking you for your vote.

I would be honored to serve you, and I will be a public servant and serve you.

And I will never be bored.

I'm Kandiss Taylor.

I'm the one you've been waiting for.

I'm Tina Tie Shaw.

Thank you for joining us for the Atlanta Press Club.

Loudermilk Young debate series.