Election denier Rick Jackson wins Georgia GOP governor primary runoff

Billionaire Rick Jackson, an election denier who has echoed President Donald Trump’s false claims about Georgia’s 2020 election, won the Republican runoff for governor Tuesday, putting him one step closer to leading one of the country’s most important battleground states.

Jackson defeated Lt. Gov. Burt Jones (R), the candidate endorsed by Trump and one of Georgia’s 2020 fake electors. Jackson will face former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms (D) in November. 

The race will decide who replaces term-limited Gov. Brian Kemp (R).

Jackson’s win represents a rare defeat for a Trump-backed candidate, but nonetheless means that Georgia Republicans will still have an election denier as their nominee for governor.

The governorship could play a major role in issues like voting access, election administration and any future Republican effort to redraw the state’s congressional map ahead of 2028.

Georgia was central to Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election. 

After President Joe Biden officially won the state, Trump pressured state officials to “find” enough votes to reverse his loss. Georgia’s presidential votes were counted three times, including once by hand, and each count confirmed Biden’s victory.

But Jackson leaned into the GOP’s attacks on the 2020 results throughout his campaign. He ran ads attacking Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R), who resisted Trump’s pressure campaign and refused to help overturn Biden’s win.

When asked during the campaign whether he thought the 2020 election was stolen, Jackson said, “that was totally ridiculous what happened in 2020 and our people really let us down.”

Jackson has also pushed for Republicans to redraw Georgia’s political maps after the U.S. Supreme Court gutted a key part of the Voting Rights Act, opening the door to new GOP gerrymanders across the South.

“In light of today’s Supreme Court ruling, redrawing the maps must be added to the agenda,” Jackson said. “There is no time to waste. Georgia must act now to ensure secure elections in Georgia and counter the Democrats’ national assault on our elections.”

If elected governor, Jackson would have significant power over the state’s election laws and congressional maps ahead of the 2028 presidential election.

Jackson’s win now sets up a November race that could determine whether one of the nation’s most important swing states is led by a Republican who has attacked the legitimacy of Georgia’s free and fair elections.