Atlanta, Georgia – Billionaire healthcare executive Rick Jackson won Georgia’s Republican runoff for governor Tuesday, defeating Trump-backed Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and setting up a November race against Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms.
Jackson won with about 53% of the vote, according to the Associated Press and Reuters. His victory marked a rare loss for President Donald Trump in a high-profile Republican primary, though Jackson also campaigned as a Trump-aligned conservative.
The race became one of the most expensive gubernatorial primaries in Georgia history. Reuters reported that Jackson spent more than $100 million of his own money after entering the race in February. AP framed the result as an example of the cost required to overcome a Trump endorsement in a Republican primary.
Jackson built his campaign around his biography, including his childhood in Atlanta public housing and foster homes before founding a medical staffing business. Jones, the sitting lieutenant governor, had the backing of Trump and Gov. Brian Kemp but could not close the runoff gap.
Jackson will now face Bottoms, the former mayor of Atlanta, in the general election. Republicans are trying to keep control of the governor’s office after term-limited Gov. Kemp leaves office.
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