Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp shook up the final stretch of Georgia’s Republican gubernatorial runoff by endorsing Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, giving the Trump-backed candidate another boost from one of the state GOP’s most influential figures.
Kemp announced his support late Sunday, after months of staying publicly neutral in the expensive contest between Jones and billionaire healthcare executive Rick Jackson, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. The endorsement lands just ahead of Tuesday’s runoff, when Georgia Republicans will choose their nominee for governor.
“The hardest part about being governor is making decisions that aren’t always popular or easy,” Kemp said, adding that he has worked with Jones for nearly 15 years and believes he will put Georgians first.
Jones already had President Donald Trump in his corner, giving him backing from two Republican power centers that have not always moved in the same direction in Georgia politics. Trump endorsed Jones last year, praising his loyalty and early support.
The move is notable because Kemp and Jones were not always seen as close allies. The two were on different sides of some of the fallout from the 2020 election, when Kemp defended Georgia’s results while Jones aligned himself with Trump’s election challenges. But their relationship improved after Jones became lieutenant governor, with the two working together on tax cuts, budget priorities, election law and tort reform.
Jackson, meanwhile, has turned the race into a costly brawl, using his personal fortune to flood the airwaves and frame himself as a political outsider. The runoff winner will advance to November to face former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who won the Democratic nomination outright.
Kemp’s endorsement could help Jones consolidate Republican voters at the moment the party is preparing to pivot from a brutal primary fight toward the general election.
