The Republican gubernatorial nominee in Georgia is not a name that everyone knew nine months ago. He hadn't run in smaller races. He hasn't held elected office in the Peach State. And, someone else had already been endorsed by President Trump for the governor's seat.
But in June, healthcare CEO and self-made billionaire Rick Jackson beat out the current Georgia Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones in the state's Republican primary runoff election. In the months since, Jackson has slowly narrowed the lead between himself and Keisha Lance Bottoms, the former mayor of Atlanta who dominated the Democratic primary race.
Jackson now leads Bottoms 48% to 45%, according to a new Rasmussen Reports poll, but two candidates have been within the margin of error
of one another since the battle was set three months ago.
If you had asked voters who they would choose to run against a Democrat back in January, however, Jackson wouldn't have even made the list. That's because he hadn't announced he was running yet.
In just five months, Jackson went from a political unknown to the Republican nominee in a state being watched closely by the nation (and President Trump) as we head into the November midterms. He brought down a Trump-endorsed candidate who also had support from a popular governor, and did it all while funding his own campaign.
Here's a look at how his sprint-like campaign played out.
Rick Jackson announces candidacy for Georgia governor
Jackson, the 71-year-old founder of the multi-billion dollar Jackson Healthcare staffing firm based in Alpharetta, announced his candidacy on Feb. 3 in a post on social media.
The entrance came as a surprise as an already crowded field grew in the Republican primary. By this point, Jones had already been endorsed by President Trump, and other candidates (like Attorney General Chris Carr and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger) were trying to toe the line between Georgia's MAGA base and Republican voters put off by the Trump Administration.
Jackson was well known in the business community and already had a professional relationship with the Trump White House through his healthcare company and business investments. Donald Trump Jr. would later applaud Jackson's financial backing of an amoxicillin plant and oil reserves in a pre-election post, calling Jackson a "good man."
Jackson grew up in a former public housing project near the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, later entering the foster care system. His upbringing was a key tenet of his campaign, saying he would not leave families like his behind as governor. He founded Jackson Healthcare in 2000, and it has since grown to one of the largest healthcare staffing and workforce providers in the United States.
Jackson pledged to spend only his own fortune on his race, starting with $50 million which eventually grew to well over $100 million. He positioned himself as a Trump-like candidate, circumventing the Trump endorsement and instead painting himself in the president's image. Jackson has never held public office, and instead argues his experience as a businessman will help him lead more than 11 million Georgians.
Newt Gingrich was the first to endorse Jackson, posting on X almost immediately following Jackson's announcement on Feb. 3.
"Rick Jackson is a remarkable business leader who was a foster child and has spent years helping foster children. He will be a great governor of Georgia and brings compassion and business experience to the race," Gingrich said.
Jackson skyrockets ahead of other Republican candidates
Jackson hit the ground running, immediately attending campaign events and starting a massive online ad campaign attacking his Republican opponents.
Just six days after he entered the race he was already polling in second place behind Burt Jones, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. On Feb. 9, Jackson polled at 16% support behind Jones' 22%, but above Raffensperger and Carr.
He separated himself from the rest of the Republican slate by calling them the "political class" that "protects itself." He said they belong to a "cartel," and he was running to "break it up." He immediately aligned himself with the president, saying Trump "proved you don't have to come from the political class to make real change," appealing to both Trump voters and Republicans veering toward anti-establishment candidates.
Jackson held his first town hall on Feb. 11, celebrated a Trump visit on Feb. 19 (which Trump used to once again endorse Jones), sued the Jones camp over campaign finance concerns on Feb. 20, called the Iran regime "evil" on Feb. 28 while supporting the U.S. operation and by the end of the month he released an AI-generated theme song on social media.
Jackson, Jones clash on debate stage in Atlanta
Just two months into his run, Jackson hit the debate stage with seven other Republican hopefuls looking at each other as candidates for the first time.
The debate, held on April 27, made it clear Jones and Jackson were focused on one another, each taking time out of the debate to question the other while the other candidates looked on. At one point, Carr was given an opportunity to ask a question, and he chose to ask Jackson to explain Jones' campaign finance issues rather than ask Jones directly or pose a question to any of the other candidates.
During questions over campaing funding, Jackson said he is not beholden to outside interests because he has invested his own wealth into his campaign, and he denies being the fund behind a series of attack ads that ran against Jones before Jackson ever publicly entered the race.
Jones also came after Jackson over immigration concerns when a report by the New York Post published just hours before the debate accused Jackson of using illegal immigrant labor at his estate in Cumming, Georgia. He is accused of not checking work authorizations before hiring laborers, according to the Post.
"You know, Mr. Jackson, you claim to be the president's choice but you've donated to Liz Cheney. You claim to be pro-life but you've profited off having doctors and nurses go to organizations like Planned Parenthood. Last but not least, on illegals, you claim to be the 'tough on illegal deportation' but you've got illegals working in your backyard as we speak right now," Jones said in the section where candidates could question one another. "So, my question to you is who's the real Rick Jackson?"
Jackson responded by saying he's never taken money from Planned Parenthood, taken money for doctors to perform transgender surgeries on underage kids, and said if elected he would make Georgia the "number one" state for deporting "criminal illegals."
When Jones asked again if Jackson had any illegal immigrants working. for him, eventually Jackson responded "I don't know."
"Here's the reason why, you're talking about a domestic person that somebody hired. I hire thousands of people a year, Burt," Jackson said.
Jones comes out on top during May primary
The party infighting came to a head on May 19 when Republican voters clearly identified their top two candidates.
Jones came out on top with Jackson close behind him, but both failed to reach a 50% majority. Raffensperger came in third but trailed significantly behind the top two.
The runoff was called early on election night, and Jackson said in his remarks he would be "Trump's favorite governor" and "like Trump but with a Southern tongue."
Jackson said he “lived the American dream” by coming from humble beginnings in foster care before going on to run a multi-billion dollar healthcare business in Georgia.
He also accused Jones of “having years” to get things done in his role as Lieutenant Governor, particularly tax cuts, and said he won’t run again if he’s unable to bring tax breaks to Georgians during his potential time as governor.
Jackson said this election is about “who you trust to fight for you,” because Jones “wants to keep making money for his family” while he is running to “break up” the Jones club in the state house.
He appealed to those who didn’t vote for him Tuesday, saying he will represent the hardworking Georgians if they choose to change their vote in the runoff.
“This runoff is our chance to choose a conservative leader over a self-serving politician,” Jackson said.
Jackson declines second debate, earns more endorsements
Jackson declined a second debate on June 1 with Jones, choosing to instead campaign with former Florida governor Rick Scott. Jones still attended the debate, and used his time alone on stage to attack Jackson to no response.
Jackson said he would participate in a June 14 debate, but this would take place after early voting in the runoff race was already complete, and the event fell through.
In the days leading up to June 16, Jackson earned additional endorsement not only from Scott, but his former opponent Carr, Senator Ted Cruz and the president's son. Many other state representatives also joined the Jackson train.
The Trump team appeared to be hedging their bets on a possible Jones loss when Trump Jr. posted what he said wasn't an endorsement, but general support of Jackson and his work in Georgia.
"Btw this is not an endorsement of Rick and I think (Burt Jones) is a great guy too. My only point is that no matter who wins tomorrow, it's a victory for MAGA," Trump Jr. wrote.
Trump celebrates Jackson win, despite endorsing his opponent
The Trump-endorsed candidate losing did not stop the president from celebrating Jackson's win.
"Rick Jackson ran a great TRUMP Campaign. Very smart! Was with me on Saturday Night making a pitch. Amazing!!! He won against a great guy, Burt Jones, who has a fantastic future!!! President DJT," Trump said on Truth Social.
Trump also celebrated the win of Mike Collins in the Republican Senate runoff. Collins was endorsed by Trump just days before the runoff election, despite being a long-time Trump supporter, election denier and MAGA advocate.
Jackson takes on Bottoms in the general
Jackson quickly turned his attention away from his primary goals and toward Bottoms and her campaign.
The Jackson campaign, using his own funds, has outspent Bottoms two- and three-fold over the past three months, and while both candidates are traveling the state and making appearances, Jackson continues to attack Bottoms in ads.
Putting himself on television screens and social media appears to be working. Bottoms was leading in multiple polls throughout the summer, though many leads were within the margin of error. Now, Jackson has pulled slightly ahead, according to Rasmussen Reports.
There are still a solid bloc of undecided voters in Georgia, enough to sway the election one way or the other. Voters therefore have to decide: do they want a candidate with a long history in Georgia, or someone new who may have taken them by surprise?
Irene Wright covers midterm races in Georgia as the Atlanta Connect reporter with USA Today’s Deep South Connect team. Find her on X @IreneEWright or email her at ismith@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Rick Jackson was unknown nine months ago. Now, he could become governor
