Rick Jackson, a self-made healthcare executive pouring more than $100 million of his own money into his first political campaign, has defeated Lt. Gov. Burt Jones in Georgia's Republican gubernatorial primary runoff, NBC News projects. Jackson will advance to face Democratic nominee Keisha Lance Bottoms in November's general election in one of the country's most closely watched gubernatorial contests.
With most votes counted, Jackson claimed 53% to Jones' 47%. The runoff was required after neither candidate surpassed the 50% threshold in May's primary election.
The outcome marks a striking rejection of Trump's political machinery in a state that has become central to his grievance agenda. Trump provided Jones with what he called his "complete and total endorsement" in August and doubled down with tele-rallies and social media posts. Incoming Gov. Brian Kemp also backed Jones with an eleventh-hour endorsement on Sunday night, but neither intervention proved decisive.
Jackson, who entered the race in February, leveraged his wealth to saturate Georgia's airwaves with advertising that cast him as a Trump-like outsider. He spent nearly three times more on ads than Jones since the start of the year and nearly four times more since the primary in May. His messaging emphasized self-made success and anti-establishment credentials. "Like President Trump, I don't owe anybody anything, and like you, I'm sick of career politicians," Jackson declared in one advertisement.
Though Jackson never received Trump's formal blessing, he received support from Senators Rick Scott of Florida and Ted Cruz of Texas, who held campaign events for him on the eve of the runoff. Cruz's backing notably put him at odds with Trump. "Rick doesn't have to do this. He could sit back and play golf all day long," Cruz said Monday, describing Jackson as an outsider businessman without peer in politics.
Donald Trump Jr. praised Jackson on social media as one of the "patriots building up MAGA," though he stopped short of a full endorsement and suggested the primary result would be a win for the movement regardless of the outcome.
Jackson's personal narrative shaped his campaign's emotional core. During his victory speech in Atlanta, he recounted overcoming an abusive childhood and time in Georgia's foster care system. "I know what it's like to feel like nobody sees you, especially the elite and the powerful," Jackson said. "When you grow up the way I did, you never forget where you came from. You never forget the families who are working harder than ever, but still falling behind."
He targeted his general election opponent directly, calling Bottoms, the former Atlanta mayor and Biden administration official, "an absolute disaster for Georgia."
Jones, in a subdued concession speech, offered no recriminations. "The sun will come up tomorrow," he said. "There is a life after politics." Neither candidate mentioned Trump or Kemp in their remarks.
The Jones loss makes him only the second Trump-endorsed candidate to fail in a Republican gubernatorial primary this cycle, underscoring the limits of Trump's kingmaking power even in his strongholds. Trump's endorsement track record in Georgia has been complicated by his fixation on 2020 election grievances. Jones, who served on an alternate slate of presidential electors backing Trump after Biden's 2020 victory, had positioned himself as a loyalist on election integrity issues. Trump praised Jones as a "fanatic when it came to election fraud" in a Thursday tele-rally.
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Attorney General Chris Carr, both initially in the gubernatorial race, fell away before the runoff. Raffensperger rejected Trump's demand to "find" more votes after 2020, while Carr repeatedly stated there was no widespread voter fraud, both actions earning Trump's public disdain. Carr later endorsed Jackson.
In Georgia's Senate Republican primary runoff held the same day, Trump's endorsed candidate, Rep. Mike Collins, defeated former football coach Derek Dooley, securing a more conventional victory for the president's influence.
The general election matchup between Jackson and Bottoms will test whether Georgia's Republican voters can be persuaded by a wealthy newcomer's outsider brand and personal story. The state last elected a Democratic governor in 1998, but has become a critical battleground in recent federal elections, making the race a significant indicator of national political shifts heading into November.
Author Sarah Mitchell: "Jackson's win reveals that Trump's endorsement, while still potent, cannot override a candidate with deeper pockets and a more convincing outsider narrative in a state where politics is personal."
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