Rick Jackson, a former healthcare executive, defeated Lt. Gov. Burt Jones in Georgia’s gubernatorial primary runoff Tuesday night, notching an upset over President Donald Trump’s preferred candidate.The Associated Press called the race at 9:45 p.m. With 85% of ballots counted, Jackson received 52.8% of the vote, while Jones earned 47.3%. Jackson will now face Democratic nominee and former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms in November.Jones entered the race in 2025 as the presumptive front-runner, but Jackson’s surprise campaign launch in February, which he initially seeded with a $50 million investment, upended the primary.
Jackson’s victory over Jones comes despite the current lieutenant governor wielding the endorsements of both Trump and term-limited Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA), who backed Jones at the 11th hour. His clinching of the GOP nomination was a test of money against political capital, with Jackson having spent at least $100 million of his own fortune to boost his campaign.
The GOP primary is the most expensive in Georgia’s history.
While Jackson came in 2nd place in Georgia’s May 19 primary, where neither he nor Jones secured a majority of the vote, the gubernatorial hopeful was able to use the time between the first primary election and the Tuesday runoff race to boost his support, with recent polling showing the race in a dead heat.
