After entering the Georgia gubernatorial race last week, billionaire Rick Jackson has already upset the Republican primary field as he aims to pull support away from Lt. Gov. Burt Jones.
The primary race was considered settled after President Donald Trump endorsed Jones, who is the presumed front-runner. However, Jackson’s self-funded campaign launch may pull some support from Jones’s pro-Trump base.
The billionaire founder of Jackson Healthcare cast himself as a MAGA-aligned outsider looking to challenge a “career politician,” like Jones.
“If you want another career politician who will bow to the cartel, my opponents are for you,” Jackson told supporters and Jackson Healthcare employees at his campaign kickoff event. “But if you want a governor who’s like President Trump, who will stand up to the radical left, the media, the bureaucracy, and anyone else that tries to take advantage of Georgians, then I’m your man.”
Jackson said he plans to invest at least $50 million into the race to back his bid, starting with a $40 million advertising campaign. This would set him apart from the rest of the GOP primary candidates, who are relying on their current or prior political experience to rally Georgia voters rather than on money.
While his self-funded campaign is advantageous, Jackson is facing an ethics complaint from Jones supporter Allen Kennedy for spending funds on advertisements before properly registering as a campaign committee. The complaint accuses the political newcomer’s campaign of violating state law.
Jackson’s entry also pits him against Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr.
Both Raffensperger and Carr sued Jones, alleging that Georgia’s campaign finance laws gave their primary opponent an unfair advantage by allowing him to raise and spend unlimited campaign funds while they could not. Both lawsuits were later dismissed, although Raffensperger has appealed the ruling concerning his legal challenge.
Multiple polls compiled by the New York Times show Jones with a sizable lead over Raffensperger and Carr. It remains to be seen whether Jackson will alter Jones’s lead at all.
It’s unlikely Jackson will nab Trump’s endorsement from Jones, although the president has endorsed more than one Republican candidate in a race before. He did so in the Arizona gubernatorial race by handing his endorsements to conservative attorney Karrin Taylor Robson and Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ).
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Jackson is already trying to court favor from Trump, as seen in his social media post praising the White House’s announcement of TrumpRx last week.
Georgia’s primary election is scheduled for May 19, with a possible runoff election set for June 16 if no candidate secures an outright majority before the general election in November.
