State House Democrats hear voter concerns at Montezuma town hall

MONTEZUMA, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — The Georgia House Democratic Caucus is hosting a statewide town hall listening tour to hear voters’ concerns, and Thursday night’s stop was in Montezuma.

Residents asked questions and vented frustrations on key issues like housing, access to healthcare, the economy, education and more. Carolyn Hugley, Minority Leader of the Georgia House of Representatives, says a main priority of the tour is to engage voters in rural Georgia, which she says democrats will need to do more of to gain seats in the General Assembly in the 2026 midterms.

“It’s important for us, if we’re going to truly lead, we’ve got to hear from the people,” Hugley said. “We’ve got to hear their needs, their concerns, and what they want.”

Hugley and other state representatives were joined by former Minority Leader and gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, who criticized the Trump administration and stressed the need for high voter turnout in local elections.

“We’ve heard before that all politics is local,” Abrams said. “That is completely true, especially in this time when the decisions being made at the federal level are causing such havoc for local communities.”

State Rep. Teddy Reese (D-Columbus), says the 90-minute town hall allowed him to further understand some of the concerns and frustrations of his constitutions, which he says he’ll take back to the Gold Dome and campaign trail next year.

“People are dealing with real issues, real challenges within the educational system, with our children,” Reese said. “And they’re sick and tired of it. And they want movement. And we’re here to let them know that we’re listening, and we’re to move in the direction that they want us to move.”

Abrams says her main takeaway was the need for more support in rural Georgia. She says elected officials and voters should take advantage of town halls to connect the dots and make it a reality.

“They need hospitals and medical care,” Abrams said. “And that means expanding Medicaid, fully funding education and doing right by the people of Macon County and the people of Georgia.”