National Republicans moved quickly to rally behind Rick Jackson after the billionaire businessman won Georgia’s Republican nomination for governor, signaling that the party wants to close ranks after a bruising runoff against Lt. Gov. Burt Jones.
The Republican Governors Association released a statement Wednesday congratulating Jackson, with RGA Chair Greg Gianforte praising him as a businessman and job creator who would focus on taxes, law enforcement and economic growth. The statement framed the race as a contrast between Jackson’s “commonsense conservative leadership” and Democrats’ agenda.
Jackson’s victory was a political shock because Jones entered the runoff with endorsements from President Donald Trump and Republican Gov. Brian Kemp. Jackson defeated Jones after pouring more than $93 million of his own money into the race, The Associated Press reported. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution described the primary as the most expensive Republican gubernatorial contest in Georgia history.
The general election now pits Jackson against Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms, the former Atlanta mayor and Biden White House official who won her party’s nomination in May. Bottoms is trying to become the first Democrat elected Georgia governor since Roy Barnes won in 1998.
The stakes are high because Georgia’s governor controls the executive branch, commands the state’s military forces, enforces state law and can veto legislation passed by the General Assembly. Kemp cannot seek another consecutive term, leaving an open race for one of the most powerful offices in the South.
The RGA statement suggests national Republicans view Jackson’s wealth, business background and conservative messaging as central to keeping the governor’s mansion in GOP hands. Democrats, meanwhile, are expected to argue Bottoms gives them their best chance in years to flip a state-level office in an increasingly competitive battleground.
