Georgia billionaire Rick Jackson won the Republican runoff to become the nominee for governor in a nasty setback for President Donald Trump after he endorsed current Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones.
With 87 percent of the votes counted, Jackson took 52.7 percent to Jones’ 47.3 percent.
On Tuesday night, Jackson posted on X, “THANK YOU, GEORGIA! I’m honored to be your Republican nominee for Governor.”
Jones led in the GOP primary in May but was unable to secure the necessary 50 percent of the vote to avoid a runoff, so he and Jackson advanced to the head-to-head matchup, with the healthcare executive pouring tens of millions into his bid as he positioned himself as the outsider candidate.
In a surprise last-minute twist, outgoing GOP Governor Brian Kemp also endorsed Jones late on Sunday, aligning himself with Trump in backing the lieutenant governor for the top job.
Last August, Trump endorsed Jones as a “WARRIOR” and joined him for a telerally in May ahead of the primary, but it was not enough to get the former state senator through without a costly runoff.
While Jones had Trump’s backing, Jackson touted himself as a hardliner like the president when it came to issues such as immigration. He has also been praised by Donald Trump Jr., but the president’s eldest son made clear he was not endorsing the billionaire.
Groups spent more than $158 million on ads in the race including the primary and runoff, according to tracking by AdImpact. Jackson was the biggest spending fueling nearly $90 million into ads for his gubernatorial bid. Jones was the second biggest spender with more than $37 million spent on ads for his bid to become the GOP nominee.
Polls showed Jackson and Jones locked in a tight race in the final stretch of the runoff with the billionaire holding a slight edge at times or tied with Jones in the most recent polling from June.
The winner will face off against former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottom, who easily won her Democratic primary for governor with the backing for former President Joe Biden. She also served in his administration as a senior adviser after leaving office in 2022.
Georgia is seen as a deeply competitive state with Democrats winning both Senate seats in the most recent statewide elections and President Joe Biden flipping the seat blue in 2020 before it swung back for Trump in 2024.
But the state has not had a Democratic governor since 2003, when Governor Roy Barnes lost his bid for a second term.
