SAVANNAH, Ga. () — This past Saturday, the Hungry Club Forum in Savannah became the stage for Georgia’s runoff candidates to engage in a structured dialogue.
The candidates took the opportunity to address questions sourced directly from the community.
Among those present were First Congressional District hopefuls Amanda Hollowell and Joyce Griggs.
They openly shared their perspectives on a range of issues including economic policies and educational reforms.
A particularly intriguing question posed to them was how they would chart a new path to victory that differs from previous strategies.
Griggs said she is going to enhance a coalition that has already been formed in the first district.
“What I’m doing is enhancing that coalition to include all of those who have been left out,” said Griggs. “There are a lot of people who have been left out in this district. You have the poor, you have the rural poor, you have the urban.”
Hollowell talked about what she has already started to do in Glynn County.
“We are starting a petition in Glynn County to get over 2,500 signatures to make sure these people will talk about why the county needs to participate in public transportation,” she said. “In Glynn County, Brunswick is the only city that participates in public transportation; it’s just the city, not the whole county.”
Another big topic was about what programs they would expand to improve K-12 outcomes and expand careers in technical education.
“We don’t have a department of education, and so we need to reinstate our department of education, and that’s probably one of the first things I want to do,” said Hollowell.
Griggs said she would work to add workforce training programs in high school so students who don’t want to go to college already have enough training to enter the workforce.
They were also asked what targeted federal and state strategies they would pursue to stabilize prices for essential goods.
To this, both candidates had similar answers. They said they wanted to end tariffs and work to end the war in Iran to bring prices down.
If she wins the runoff, Hollowell wants to address affordability and corruption.
“The war that we’re in right now is illegal, and Congress has even decided that,” she said. “We need to make sure that we’re talking to folks and explaining that to them, there is hope on the ground… and that folks are trying to work to solve the affordability crisis before we even get into Congress.”
Griggs also wants to focus on affordability.
“People are hurting right now,” she said. “Prices are going up every day. People can’t afford food.”
Early voting for runoff elections begins on June 8, 2026. Election day for the runoffs is June 16, 2026.