The Atlanta Press Club Receives Significant Grant from Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation to support Loudermilk-Young Debate Series
The Atlanta Press Club (APC) received a $265,000 grant from the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation to support the costs of the Atlanta Press Club Loudermilk-Young Debate Series in 2025 and 2026.
The grant funded APC’s 2025 debate series, which included the races for Public Service Commission, Mayor of Atlanta, and Atlanta City Council President. It will also play a vital role in 2026, when APC anticipates a very active debate season in Georgia with many crucial races on the ballot, including US Senate, Georgia Governor, and Georgia Secretary of State.
“The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation is proud to support the Atlanta Press Club Loudermilk-Young Debate Series and its commitment to educate voters on the candidates running for public office and where they stand on the issues,” said Fay Twersky, president of the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation. “2026 will be a critical election year for Georgia, and it’s important to ensure APC has the resources necessary to provide this important public service.”
“As a battleground state, Georgia continues to have significant influence on national politics. This generous grant will help the Atlanta Press Club keep voters informed and engaged through a very important election season,” said APC Board Chair Mike Jordan. “Delivering fair, informative, and accessible debates that serve voters across our state is a key tenet of our mission, and we are grateful to The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation for its support ensuring the longevity of the Loudermilk-Young Debate Series.”
The Atlanta Press Club celebrates more than 30 years of hosting local, federal and statewide debates, creating one of the most extensive debate series in the country. The Loudermilk-Young Debate Series was established in 2011 when R. Charles “Charlie” Loudermilk committed $1 million to create an endowment for the Loudermilk-Young Debate Series. The name honors Charlie Loudermilk, a Republican businessman, and his longstanding friendship with Ambassador Andrew Young, a Democrat and a public servant. The two men exemplify the ability to work together for the good of Georgia, no matter their political differences.
The Atlanta Press Club remains committed to expanding its role as Georgia’s leading forum for journalism and civic engagement. To ensure that we can continue delivering trusted, nonpartisan debates that reach voters across every corner of the state, we welcome additional grants and philanthropic partnerships to help sustain and grow this vital public service.
Organizations and individuals interested in supporting the Atlanta Press Club’s debate series or other civic programming are encouraged to contact us at info@atlpressclub.org.
Contributions to the Atlanta Press Club do not constitute an implied or actual endorsement of donors or their products, services or opinions. Decisions and judgments about content APC produces are made independently and not based on donor support.
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DEBATE RULES
Debate series: The Atlanta Press Club is proud to host one of the most expansive debate series in the country. The series is organized by a committee comprised of members of the Atlanta Press Club board and local political journalists.
We know every political race is important, but due to several restrictions, including time and finances, the Atlanta Press Club is not able to host debates for each race on the ballot, therefore, the committee determines which debates would be most impactful for voters each election season.
Invited candidates: Candidates who qualify with the Georgia Secretary of State to appear on the ballot by name are invited to participate in the debate. Candidates who suspend their campaign or drop out of the race before the debate are no longer eligible to participate.
Candidates declining: Candidates who decline to participate in a debate will be represented by anempty podium.
Panel: Each panel is made up of politically neutral journalists – a moderator who leads the debate and panelists who ask the questions. The moderator also may question the candidates. The questions are their own; neither the press club nor the candidates know the questions in advance.
Debate format:
Candidates do not make opening statements but the moderator provides a brief introduction for each candidate. Props and electronic devices are not allowed on set, but notes and a notepad are allowed. Candidates are questioned in random order in each round. Candidates do not know the order in advance.
Round 1: Each candidate is asked at least one question by a panelist.
Round 2: Each candidate asks at least one question to at least one opponent. Candidates asking the question have time for a rebuttal in this round.
Round 3: The panelists take turns asking a question to the candidate of his/her choice until time runs out. The moderator determines when a rebuttal is appropriate.
Closing Statements: Each candidate makes a closing statement.
Timing: The length of time to answer questions and give closing statements varies depending on how many candidates participate and the length of the debate.
Georgia Code of Judicial Conduct
History of the Debate Series
For more than 20 years, the Atlanta Press Club, in partnership with Georgia Public Broadcasting, has been organizing the premier political debates in the state of Georgia. The Atlanta Press Club Debate Series provides the most comprehensive, timely and widely viewed series of political debates during every election year in Georgia.
Previously, the Debate Series was funded from support by the late Tom Watson Brown. In 2011, R. Charles “Charlie” Loudermilk, founder of Aaron’s Inc., pledged $1 million to permanently endow the club’s series of political debates during every election year in Georgia. In honor of Loudermilk’s close friendship with former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young, the debates are named the Atlanta Press Club’s Loudermilk-Young Debate Series.
In 2020, the Loudermilk-Young Debate Series was viewed around the world as the Atlanta Press Club and Georgia Public Broadcasting (along with CNN, Fox News and others) broadcast the debates between U.S. Senate candidates Kelly Loeffler and Raphael Warnock. Jon Ossoff participated in the debates and David Perdue declined to join.
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How are Atlanta Press Club debates organized and managed?
A committee of Atlanta Press Club members selects which primary and general election races to hold debates. The committee is co-chaired by Maria Saporta, editor and founder of the SaportaReport, and Rahul Bali, politics reporter for WABE public radio. Committee members must be Atlanta Press Club members and sign a disclosure statement, stating they have not engaged in any political activity in the prior four years. The members are drawn from Georgia’s pool of political journalists, several of whom also serve on the club’s board of directors. In addition to selecting debates to hold, the committee also assembles the panels of journalists and moderators responsible for each debate. Lauri Strauss, a past president of the Atlanta Press Club and a non-voting member of its board of directors, is contracted by the club to handle all the logistical details of staging each debate. Strauss is responsible for coordinating with the candidates and their campaigns, the panelists and the moderators, and work with Georgia Public Broadcasting, the broadcast partner of the debate series, to oversee all production aspects. Beyond primary and general election debates, the Press Club commits to holding debates for primary and general election runoffs. Depending on the year, the club will host up to 40 debates from May to December, and is proud to organize one of the largest debate series in the nation.