March 9, 2026 • 11 mins
Mike Moore recently sat down with Black Georgia gubernatorial candidate Michael Thurmond. The former DeKalb County CEO is among several candidates who have qualified to run for the state’s top office. During the interview, Thurmond addressed a range of issues impacting residents across Georgia.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Mike Moore recently sat down with black Georgia gubernatorial candidate
Michael Thurman. The former Decab County CEO is among several
candidates who have qualified to run. He spoke on several
topics affecting Georgia residents.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
We are now speaking with former Dicab County CEO and
Georgia State representative Labor Department Commissioner Michael Thurman. What a
pleasure it is to speak with you again, and I
can't wait to begin talking about this road in this
journey that you've embarked upon.
Speaker 3 (00:31):
Thank you so much. Mike is honored to be with you,
and its honored to share with you my vision for
Georgia as being the next governor.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
Governance is nothing new to you, this journey that you've
decided to embark upon. Now from whence did it come?
Or has this been in the making for some time?
Speaker 3 (00:54):
It's been a calling and I've had time to think
about it, and all my previous experiences in life, both
politically and personally, have prepared me for this moment at
this critical time in the history of Georgia and the history.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
Of our nation.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
And I'm excited by the opportunity, but I recognize that
this is a challenge as well as an opportunity for
us to move into a position so that we can
begin to address some of the most critical issues facing
families and working people in our state.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
Speaks to those challenges. If you will.
Speaker 3 (01:27):
Affordability, so many heads of household men and women who
are working hard every day, some holding down two or
three jobs, and still not able to purchase the groceries
needed to pay rent, to purchase insurance, to pay for
good education for their children. These are exceptionally difficult times
for working men and women who really just want someone
(01:49):
to need someone to stand up and fight for them,
to stand in the gap and do what's right, to
have a government that has a heart and that is
focused on helping people help themselves.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
This is somewhat a simple example that I'm going to
give you, and I'm sure the answer is going to
be much more complex. But sometimes you look at a
situation and you say, Okay, here is the problem. Here
is where we stand. Where's the road to absolve all
(02:20):
of this? So if you will follow that road and
tell me some of those challenges and what has to
happen to overcome them.
Speaker 3 (02:28):
Well, first of all, we have to have an elected
a governor and elected officials who actually care not just
about the big businesses, but also about the people. You
have to focus attention on what are the real challenges
that average men and women are facing. Number One, we
have to have health care. We must expand and extend
(02:49):
Medicaid to more vible citizens. Nearly eleven percent of George's
population is uninsured. This is a travesty. Consequently, thousands of
citizens are getting sick from preventable diseases and unfortunately, many
are dying. This is especially acute in rural Georgia, where
we have hospitals closing, families who have to travel an
(03:10):
hour and a half just to get access to primary care.
Our schools are understressed all across the state. We have
to invest in a public education system that creates multiple
pathways to success, recognizing that many kids will want to
go to a liberal arts college or university, but recognize
that this economy now is about skills as much as
(03:35):
it is about degrees. Consequently, we have to celebrate all
of our workers, white collar, blue collar, no collar. Not
the color of the collar, but the green and the
dollar that makes all the difference. It's not just about
going to more House or Spellmen or Caau of Savannah State,
Albany State, pain or Georgia University of Georgia or Georgia Tech.
(03:57):
Celebrate these young men and women who decide to go
to Atlanta Tech, who decide to take a military career
on apprenticeship. And look, in this economy, these skills oftentimes
generate higher salaries than liberal arts degrees.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
And you're talking about folks that may go into HVAC
and plumbing and things of those natures that nature.
Speaker 3 (04:21):
Absolutely, look, let your toilet goes on the brink. You
called the plumber. You don't ask how much you're trying
to figure out how soon if you're in a career,
that's about how much as opposed to how soon you're
going to make a lot of money for yourself.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
I want to jump back on something that you mentioned,
those in rural areas and not being insured and just
the access in terms of distance and affordability to have insurance.
There's also a consequence of that, and speak to this.
If you will, medical debt as a result of not
having insurance just places you in financial dore.
Speaker 3 (05:01):
Oh. Absolutely, it is an unbelievable burden. That so many people,
particularly people of colored people who live in rural parts
of our state and in some urban areas, must carry,
and it's a debt that it's almost impossible to relieve
yourself of. It's a debt to the individual, but it
also generates debts to the hospitals who are trying to
(05:22):
provide the service. We have to expand Medicare. And by
the way, we talk about economic development, if Georgia had
expanded extended Medicaid, we would have generated another six thousand
jobs statewide, nearly seven thousand jobs in rural Georgia paying
good salaries. So it's about health, but it's also about wealth.
(05:45):
It's both. And if we will use our resources as
a government to do what's right for our people, this
is what I said. Look, having access to Medicaid and
affordable health care, that's not a black thing, it's not
a white thing. That's a right thing. And we need
a government and government leaders who are focused on doing
the right thing and not engage in hyper partisanship that
(06:09):
underminds the ability of people to support and care for themselves.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
I love how you wax poetic. That was so so
very good. Forgive me for throwing that in there. Thank you,
Thank you made me smile. I'm sorry about that. Also
want to talk about your reach because in this capacity
we're talking about statewide. How do you get your messaging
not only to the people who know you in Athens,
(06:36):
quite frankly, they know you all over this state. But
to take your messaging and make it a state wide message.
Speaker 3 (06:43):
What has to happen A great insight. As you know,
my natural political habitat is Georgia. I served in the
cav County the school superintendent of the CEO. But I'm
back into my natural habitat statewide. And you have to
respect number one, people who populate this state from north
to south, east and west, urban, rural, suburban. And thank god,
(07:06):
I've been lucky. I was elected statewide three times as
a label commissioner, the first African American non incoment ever
to win a statewide office in the history of Georgia.
So I have history in building the coalitions between urban
and rural and suburban in order to achieve what some
(07:27):
people might feel or might think are basically impossible. We
can do this and look creating jobs. I don't care
where you live, that's important to you. Creating good jobs.
We're investing hundreds of millions of dollars to bring new
jobs to Georgia, such as the Hyundai plant and Brian
County on the coast, but unfortunately, many of the highest
(07:49):
paying jobs will not feel by Georgians. My motto will
be a job for every Georgian, and a Georgian for
every job, and we're going to spend hundreds of millions
of dollars in incentives that I think Georgian's ought to
be first in line.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
Okay, let's talk about the economy now, if we can
do that, because it's somewhat of a parallel. Are there
any things that you're proposing that would better enable the
tax cuts, and I'm not trying to put words in
your mouth, any kind of gesture that you can make
(08:23):
that may alleviate some of the challenges that we all face.
You go into a grocery store, I can't imagine a
box of cereal seven dollars, but that's the reality. I'm
thinking about a family that has several children, or young
children or whatever makes it very difficult just to go
(08:45):
to the store.
Speaker 3 (08:46):
I'm so happy that you mentioned young families with children.
One thing I will do immediately is that I will
increase scholarships for parents to help them pay for childcare.
One of the most challenging expenses that young parents have
is affording childcare for their children. So Georgia has a
(09:06):
program that I started actually when I was a DEFECT director.
We called it a childcare for the low income residents.
But I will raise that salary, that salary CAP so
that up to eighty thousand dollars a year one hundred
and sixty thousand dollars for a couple, so that they
can qualify for scholarships to cover the costs of childcare
(09:30):
for their young children. Think about it, childcare and many
parts of Georgia is twelve hundred and fifteen hundred two
thousand dollars a month. The very few jobs that allow
you to pay for the childcare and still have enough
left over to make investments on the other thing you're doing.
So the first thing I'm going to do, I'm going
to increase the income level for the CAP's program so
(09:53):
that more families can qualify for childcare scholarships.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
I'm going to wrap this up, but I want to
leave this for you to be on this singular platform.
Why should you be the next governor of Georgia.
Speaker 3 (10:11):
I am tested, I'm proven, I'm ready. I've led two
of the largest state agencies, the Department of Labor as
well as the Department of Family and Children Services. My
entire life has prepared me for this critical moment to
be the CEO of a forty plus billion dollar corporation,
which is the State of Georgia. And more importantly, I'm
(10:31):
focused on people. This is not about politics. It's about people,
and I have demonstrated throughout my career not so much
about promises, but about performance. If you've given me this opportunity,
as voters, I'm going to work hard. I won't quit,
and I won't let you down.
Speaker 2 (10:47):
Michael Thurman, thank you ever so much for joining us.
Speaker 3 (10:50):
Thank you so much, Mike.
Speaker 1 (10:51):
Thank you Mike and Mike. And of course we'll bring
you all of the developments in this race and other
key elections across the country. The midterm primaries are Main nineteenth,
with a runoff if needed, on June sixteenth, and election
day is November third,
Mike Moore recently sat down with black Georgia gubernatorial candidate
Michael Thurman. The former Decab County CEO is among several
candidates who have qualified to run. He spoke on several
topics affecting Georgia residents.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
We are now speaking with former Dicab County CEO and
Georgia State representative Labor Department Commissioner Michael Thurman. What a
pleasure it is to speak with you again, and I
can't wait to begin talking about this road in this
journey that you've embarked upon.
Speaker 3 (00:31):
Thank you so much. Mike is honored to be with you,
and its honored to share with you my vision for
Georgia as being the next governor.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
Governance is nothing new to you, this journey that you've
decided to embark upon. Now from whence did it come?
Or has this been in the making for some time?
Speaker 3 (00:54):
It's been a calling and I've had time to think
about it, and all my previous experiences in life, both
politically and personally, have prepared me for this moment at
this critical time in the history of Georgia and the history.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
Of our nation.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
And I'm excited by the opportunity, but I recognize that
this is a challenge as well as an opportunity for
us to move into a position so that we can
begin to address some of the most critical issues facing
families and working people in our state.
Speaker 2 (01:24):
Speaks to those challenges. If you will.
Speaker 3 (01:27):
Affordability, so many heads of household men and women who
are working hard every day, some holding down two or
three jobs, and still not able to purchase the groceries
needed to pay rent, to purchase insurance, to pay for
good education for their children. These are exceptionally difficult times
for working men and women who really just want someone
(01:49):
to need someone to stand up and fight for them,
to stand in the gap and do what's right, to
have a government that has a heart and that is
focused on helping people help themselves.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
This is somewhat a simple example that I'm going to
give you, and I'm sure the answer is going to
be much more complex. But sometimes you look at a
situation and you say, Okay, here is the problem. Here
is where we stand. Where's the road to absolve all
(02:20):
of this? So if you will follow that road and
tell me some of those challenges and what has to
happen to overcome them.
Speaker 3 (02:28):
Well, first of all, we have to have an elected
a governor and elected officials who actually care not just
about the big businesses, but also about the people. You
have to focus attention on what are the real challenges
that average men and women are facing. Number One, we
have to have health care. We must expand and extend
(02:49):
Medicaid to more vible citizens. Nearly eleven percent of George's
population is uninsured. This is a travesty. Consequently, thousands of
citizens are getting sick from preventable diseases and unfortunately, many
are dying. This is especially acute in rural Georgia, where
we have hospitals closing, families who have to travel an
(03:10):
hour and a half just to get access to primary care.
Our schools are understressed all across the state. We have
to invest in a public education system that creates multiple
pathways to success, recognizing that many kids will want to
go to a liberal arts college or university, but recognize
that this economy now is about skills as much as
(03:35):
it is about degrees. Consequently, we have to celebrate all
of our workers, white collar, blue collar, no collar. Not
the color of the collar, but the green and the
dollar that makes all the difference. It's not just about
going to more House or Spellmen or Caau of Savannah State,
Albany State, pain or Georgia University of Georgia or Georgia Tech.
(03:57):
Celebrate these young men and women who decide to go
to Atlanta Tech, who decide to take a military career
on apprenticeship. And look, in this economy, these skills oftentimes
generate higher salaries than liberal arts degrees.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
And you're talking about folks that may go into HVAC
and plumbing and things of those natures that nature.
Speaker 3 (04:21):
Absolutely, look, let your toilet goes on the brink. You
called the plumber. You don't ask how much you're trying
to figure out how soon if you're in a career,
that's about how much as opposed to how soon you're
going to make a lot of money for yourself.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
I want to jump back on something that you mentioned,
those in rural areas and not being insured and just
the access in terms of distance and affordability to have insurance.
There's also a consequence of that, and speak to this.
If you will, medical debt as a result of not
having insurance just places you in financial dore.
Speaker 3 (05:01):
Oh. Absolutely, it is an unbelievable burden. That so many people,
particularly people of colored people who live in rural parts
of our state and in some urban areas, must carry,
and it's a debt that it's almost impossible to relieve
yourself of. It's a debt to the individual, but it
also generates debts to the hospitals who are trying to
(05:22):
provide the service. We have to expand Medicare. And by
the way, we talk about economic development, if Georgia had
expanded extended Medicaid, we would have generated another six thousand
jobs statewide, nearly seven thousand jobs in rural Georgia paying
good salaries. So it's about health, but it's also about wealth.
(05:45):
It's both. And if we will use our resources as
a government to do what's right for our people, this
is what I said. Look, having access to Medicaid and
affordable health care, that's not a black thing, it's not
a white thing. That's a right thing. And we need
a government and government leaders who are focused on doing
the right thing and not engage in hyper partisanship that
(06:09):
underminds the ability of people to support and care for themselves.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
I love how you wax poetic. That was so so
very good. Forgive me for throwing that in there. Thank you,
Thank you made me smile. I'm sorry about that. Also
want to talk about your reach because in this capacity
we're talking about statewide. How do you get your messaging
not only to the people who know you in Athens,
(06:36):
quite frankly, they know you all over this state. But
to take your messaging and make it a state wide message.
Speaker 3 (06:43):
What has to happen A great insight. As you know,
my natural political habitat is Georgia. I served in the
cav County the school superintendent of the CEO. But I'm
back into my natural habitat statewide. And you have to
respect number one, people who populate this state from north
to south, east and west, urban, rural, suburban. And thank god,
(07:06):
I've been lucky. I was elected statewide three times as
a label commissioner, the first African American non incoment ever
to win a statewide office in the history of Georgia.
So I have history in building the coalitions between urban
and rural and suburban in order to achieve what some
(07:27):
people might feel or might think are basically impossible. We
can do this and look creating jobs. I don't care
where you live, that's important to you. Creating good jobs.
We're investing hundreds of millions of dollars to bring new
jobs to Georgia, such as the Hyundai plant and Brian
County on the coast, but unfortunately, many of the highest
(07:49):
paying jobs will not feel by Georgians. My motto will
be a job for every Georgian, and a Georgian for
every job, and we're going to spend hundreds of millions
of dollars in incentives that I think Georgian's ought to
be first in line.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
Okay, let's talk about the economy now, if we can
do that, because it's somewhat of a parallel. Are there
any things that you're proposing that would better enable the
tax cuts, and I'm not trying to put words in
your mouth, any kind of gesture that you can make
(08:23):
that may alleviate some of the challenges that we all face.
You go into a grocery store, I can't imagine a
box of cereal seven dollars, but that's the reality. I'm
thinking about a family that has several children, or young
children or whatever makes it very difficult just to go
(08:45):
to the store.
Speaker 3 (08:46):
I'm so happy that you mentioned young families with children.
One thing I will do immediately is that I will
increase scholarships for parents to help them pay for childcare.
One of the most challenging expenses that young parents have
is affording childcare for their children. So Georgia has a
(09:06):
program that I started actually when I was a DEFECT director.
We called it a childcare for the low income residents.
But I will raise that salary, that salary CAP so
that up to eighty thousand dollars a year one hundred
and sixty thousand dollars for a couple, so that they
can qualify for scholarships to cover the costs of childcare
(09:30):
for their young children. Think about it, childcare and many
parts of Georgia is twelve hundred and fifteen hundred two
thousand dollars a month. The very few jobs that allow
you to pay for the childcare and still have enough
left over to make investments on the other thing you're doing.
So the first thing I'm going to do, I'm going
to increase the income level for the CAP's program so
(09:53):
that more families can qualify for childcare scholarships.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
I'm going to wrap this up, but I want to
leave this for you to be on this singular platform.
Why should you be the next governor of Georgia.
Speaker 3 (10:11):
I am tested, I'm proven, I'm ready. I've led two
of the largest state agencies, the Department of Labor as
well as the Department of Family and Children Services. My
entire life has prepared me for this critical moment to
be the CEO of a forty plus billion dollar corporation,
which is the State of Georgia. And more importantly, I'm
(10:31):
focused on people. This is not about politics. It's about people,
and I have demonstrated throughout my career not so much
about promises, but about performance. If you've given me this opportunity,
as voters, I'm going to work hard. I won't quit,
and I won't let you down.
Speaker 2 (10:47):
Michael Thurman, thank you ever so much for joining us.
Speaker 3 (10:50):
Thank you so much, Mike.
Speaker 1 (10:51):
Thank you Mike and Mike. And of course we'll bring
you all of the developments in this race and other
key elections across the country. The midterm primaries are Main nineteenth,
with a runoff if needed, on June sixteenth, and election
day is November third,
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