Georgia Governor Candidates Make Final Push Week Before Primary

The final days until Georgia’s May 19 general primary election are dwindling, and on the ballot is the top job in the state, which is on the line for a President Donald Trump-endorsed candidate who is behind in recent polling.

Georgia’s gubernatorial race has turned into a competitive, costly contest for the top candidates, who are all out on the campaign trail this week, making their final pitch to voters.

Early voting in the state opened April 27 and runs through May 15.

GOP Candidates

Eight qualified Republicans are running to lead the Peach State, in a race that has turned into a multi-million-dollar affair for the top candidates.

Billionaire businessman Rick Jackson, the Trump-endorsed Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger are the top three contenders for the GOP ticket.

Jackson is the founder, chairman, and CEO of Jackson Healthcare.

His website highlights his humble beginnings in foster care to his current business, which generates more than $3 billion a year. Jackson’s “Action” plan includes making Georgia the most affordable state in the country, stopping “woke” ideology, protecting children, supporting law enforcement, and fighting illegal immigration.

The billionaire was in Paulding County on May 13, where a Republican women’s group hosted an event for him.

According to state records, Jackson has raised more than $83 million and spent more than $65 million.

Jackson has used his millions to launch ad attacks against Jones while criticizing him on X, with a sideswipe at the front-running Democratic candidate, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Bottoms.

“I trust Keisha Lance Bottoms with election integrity as much I trust Burt Jones to put anything before his family’s bank account,” Jackson wrote on X.

Jones is a sixth-generation Georgian, husband, and father. One of his campaign promises is a plan to eliminate the state’s income tax.

According to state records, he has raised more than $4 million and spent more than $18 million.

The Trump-backed candidate is on the campaign trail in the final days of the race, with several stops across North Georgia.

Jones has gone after Jackson as well, calling him a “fraud” and accusing him of employing illegal immigrants.

“While Georgians are begging for secure borders, Slick Rick [Jackson] keeps putting foreigners first and ignoring the law,” he wrote on X.

Raffensperger’s website describes him as a “rock solid, conservative businessman” who will “take on the woke left, corporate America, and any politician or political party attempting to undermine our values.”

State records show that Raffensperger has raised more than $1.1 million and spent about $4.5 million.

The Georgia secretary of state just finished a six-city “fly-around” tour. At one of his stops, a bomb threat was called in, which was quickly handled by emergency crews.

“I will not be intimidated, I will not be deterred, and I will not back down. No threat, no coward, and no act of intimidation will stop our fight,” Raffensperger said on X.

The most recent polling for Georgia’s GOP gubernatorial primary shows a tight race between Jackson and Jones, with Raffensperger trailing.

A May 5 poll from Quantus Insights shows Jackson leading the ballot with 27.3 percent support, followed by Jones at 22.1 percent, and Raffensperger at 14.4 percent.

But Quantus Insights said the race has tightened since its previous poll in February.

Other recent polls, from Cygnal, Remington Research, and the University of Georgia, show a much closer race between Jackson and Jones.

These stand, respectively, with Jackson at 27 percent and Jones at 24 percent; Jackson at 29 percent and Jones at 28 percent; and Jackson at 27 percent and Jones at 25 percent.

Democratic Candidates

Georgia’s gubernatorial race has seven qualified Democratic candidates. One holds a wide margin to win the party’s bid: the former Atlanta mayor.

Bottoms has promised a day one priority of expanding Medicaid if she were elected governor. She was born and raised in Georgia, is a wife and mother, and has previously served as a judge, city council member, and senior advisor to President Joe Biden.

She has raised nearly $3 million and spent about $2.5 million on her campaign.

A University of Georgia poll released on May 4 forecasts Bottoms with 39 percent of the Democratic primary vote. Other recent polls from InsiderAdvantage and 20/20 Insight reflect the same wide margin for Bottoms.

The Peach State’s 21st-century streak under Republican governors is on the line against a previous century-long span of Democratic rule.

Historically a Democrat-run state, Georgia has been under Republican leadership for the current and previous two governors, dating back to 2003. Before that, the last GOP governor served from 1871 to 1872.

With days left before the May 19 primary, Georgia’s governorship remains a toss-up before the Nov. 3 general election.