{"id":1756,"date":"2026-06-17T10:40:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-17T10:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=1756"},"modified":"2026-06-17T10:40:00","modified_gmt":"2026-06-17T10:40:00","slug":"trump-backed-candidate-goes-down-in-flames-in-key-swing-state","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=1756","title":{"rendered":"Trump-backed candidate goes down in flames in key swing state"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

An expensive slugfest between two Republican candidates for governor fighting for the party\u2019s nomination came to an end Tuesday night.<\/p>\n

Read more Victorious Trump-backed candidate boosts Democrats in key swing state<\/a><\/p>\n

The Associated Press called the race for wealthy businessman Rick Jackson at around 9:45 p.m. Tuesday. As of late Tuesday night, Jackson had about 53% of the vote, according to unofficial results from the Georgia Secretary of State\u2019s Office.<\/p>\n

Speaking at his election watch party in north Atlanta, Jackson said he will continue building on the \u201cfoundation laid by Georgia\u2019s great Republican governors for the last few years,\u201d and pointed to his rise from a foster child to a billionaire and to becoming head of Jackson Healthcare.<\/p>\n

\u201cI lived with five different foster families and attended 13 different schools, but with God\u2019s help, I built a business [and] created thousands of jobs,\u201d Jackson said.<\/p>\n

Jackson mimicked Trump\u2019s style in some ways, making a flashy entrance at his campaign launch by riding down a glass elevator and positioning himself as a political outsider. He also released an ad implying he had Gov. Brian Kemp\u2019s backing, which Kemp later denied.<\/p>\n

And Jones had been considered the frontrunner in the contest for the GOP nomination before Jackson upended the race in February with the surprise announcement that he was launching a campaign to replace term-limited Kemp.<\/p>\n

Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, faced wealthy businessman Rick Jackson for the Republican ticket for governor, gives a speech to supporters at an election watch party in Butts County on Jun. 16, 2026, after the race was called. Alander Rocha\/Georgia Recorder<\/p>\n

Jones, who was the top vote-getter last month, was backed by President Donald Trump early in the race and very recently picked up Kemp\u2019s endorsement. But Jackson had the backing of several high-profile establishment Georgia Republicans like his former rival in the race, Attorney General Chris Carr. Jackson also had the support of Insurance Commissioner John King and outgoing Speaker Pro Tem Jan Jones, as well as national Republicans like U.S. Sens. Rick Scott of Florida and Ted Cruz of Texas who dropped in to campaign for Jackson in recent weeks.<\/p>\n

Speaking at a campaign event in his hometown in Butts County, Jones congratulated Jackson but kept his speech brief. He said that although he had a strong showing on election day, it was not enough.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt looked like it was coming back pretty good, but the early voting margin was just a little too much to overcome,\u201d Jones said.<\/p>\n

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Jones also blamed his loss on Jackson\u2019s spending, saying that they \u201cwere outspent \u2026 and it was a very competitive race.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe felt like we had a chance to win tonight, and just came up a little short,\u201d Jones said.<\/p>\n

Read more Voters unleash devastating hard pass on Trump and his party: report<\/a><\/p>\n

In Jackson\u2019s victory speech, he defended his campaign\u2019s outsized spending, saying he doesn\u2019t need the money. On the campaign trail, Jackson often called his fortune \u201cGod\u2019s money.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI did not run for governor to join their club. I ran to break up the club,\u201d Jackson said.<\/p>\n

The two candidates together spent over $138.6 million over the primary through the runoff period, according to campaign finance records leading up to Tuesday\u2019s runoff election. Jackson\u2019s spending makes up about 78% of that, representing nearly $108 million in spending that came largely from contributions he personally made to his campaign. Jones loaned his campaign just over $25 million and raised another $5 million.<\/p>\n

Despite millions spent on ads, often attacking one another, Jones and Jackson had to face off in the June runoff after neither received over 50% of the vote in a crowded May\u2019s primary election.<\/p>\n

Jackson, who often took shots at Bottoms during the primary period, used his victory speech to pitch why voters should choose him over the former Atlanta mayor in November. He cited her decision to not run for a second term as mayor, saying that she \u201cdid such a bad job as mayor, she didn\u2019t even run for reelection.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe would be an absolute disaster. When the violence started, families were afraid, businesses worried, and police officers needed support, Keisha Lance Bottoms turned her back on all of them. Keisha Lance Bottoms failed,\u201d Jackson said.<\/p>\n

In a statement, Bottoms fired back and criticized Jackson for having $1 billion in state contracts while opposing full Medicaid expansion for Georgia\u2019s poorer residents.<\/p>\n

\u201cGeorgians deserve a governor who is focused on ensuring they have every opportunity to thrive and who will fight for them when Donald Trump\u2019s reckless policies hurt Georgia \u2013 that\u2019s what I will do as governor. I will get to work to lower costs, expand Medicaid, and invest in Georgians\u2019 education,\u201d Bottoms said.<\/p>\n

Charlie Bailey, chair of the Democratic Party of Georgia, also blasted Jackson, saying that Jackson is an \u201cout-of-touch billionaire who doesn\u2019t even pretend to care about the issues facing Georgians\u201d and cast the Republican as a Trump ally who will raise the cost of living for Georgians.<\/p>\n

\u201cJackson can\u2019t even name a single Trump policy he disagrees with \u2013 and vocally supports the cost-raising policies coming out of DC that are raising costs on Georgians and making life harder for Georgia families, farmers, and small businesses alike,\u201d Bailey said in a statement.<\/p>\n

Read more Brace yourself: Nobel Prize economist says Trump\u2019s policies surpass the Gilded Age disaster<\/a><\/p>\n

Georgia Recorder intern Ellie Fivas contributed to this report.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An expensive slugfest between two Republican candidates for governor fighting for the party\u2019s nomination came to an end Tuesday night.The Associated Press called the race for wealthy businessman Rick Jackson at around 9:45 p.m. Tuesday. As of late Tuesday night, Jackson had about 53% of the vote, ac…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1755,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1756","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nTrump-backed candidate goes down in flames in key swing state - Next Address America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=1756\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Trump-backed candidate goes down in flames in key swing state - Next Address America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"An expensive slugfest between two Republican candidates for governor fighting for the party\u2019s nomination came to an end Tuesday night.The Associated Press called the race for wealthy businessman Rick Jackson at around 9:45 p.m. Tuesday. 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