The Republican runoff for Georgia governor has moved from a costly ad war into an empty-podium debate fight, with Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and health care executive Rick Jackson racing toward the final days of voting.
Jackson skipped Monday’s Atlanta Press Club debate, citing a scheduling conflict, while Jones spoke beside an empty lectern at Georgia Public Broadcasting. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Jackson instead addressed about 500 supporters in Cobb County at an event with Republican Florida Sen. Rick Scott.
The debate drama gives the June 16 runoff a fresh flashpoint after one of the most expensive gubernatorial primaries in the nation. ABC News reported the Republican primary was defined by more than $100 million in spending and fierce attack ads, with AdImpact calling it the third-most expensive gubernatorial primary on record.
The official Georgia election calendar lists advance voting for the runoff from June 8 through June 12. The winner will face former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who won the Democratic nomination outright and has already begun turning toward the general election.
Jackson picked up a post-primary boost when Attorney General Chris Carr endorsed Jackson after finishing fourth in the Republican primary. WABE reported Carr said Jackson would build on Gov. Brian Kemp’s legacy, while Kemp himself has not endorsed a candidate in the race.
Jones enters the runoff with President Donald Trump’s endorsement and the first-place finish in the opening round, but neither Jones nor Jackson secured the majority needed to avoid overtime.
Bottoms, meanwhile, appeared at a joint Atlanta rally with Jon Ossoff, underscoring that Democrats are already trying to frame the fall campaign while Republicans continue battling for the nomination.
