CUMMING, GA — Rick Jackson is not sugarcoating the situation in Georgia's tight governor's race.
Jackson, a healthcare CEO, self-made billionaire and the Republican nominee for governor endorsed by both President Trump and Gov. Brian Kemp, came back to his home town Sunday night to speak to his supporters.
"None of this happens just because we had a great plan. It happens because we win, and we win because people vote. The race is close, we cannot take a single vote for granted," Jackson told the crowd. "So I need you to take the energy in this crowd and carry it out those doors."
The gubernatorial hopeful is running against Keisha Lance Bottoms, the former Democratic mayor of Atlanta who served a single term before taking a position in the Joe
Biden White House. Bottoms won her primary race by a solid margin while Jackson had to fight it out with Lt. Gov. Burt Jones in a Republican primary runoff.
But in the months since the two contenders were selected, polls have shown them neck-and-neck. Some months, Bottoms squeaks out a 1 or 2% lead over Jackson. Other months, Jackson pulls ahead. No matter who is in the top spot, the other is so close behind them the race remains in the margin of error, meaning the turnout on election day and how undecided voters cast their ballot could sway the election one way or the other.
President Trump has told voters to "pretend (he's) on the ballot," this election cycle, and having endorsed Jackson, the Trump agenda has followed him throughout the campaign. Jackson has appeared with Trump at three of his recent visits to the state, but in recent weeks mentions of the president on Jackson's website has been changed and the candidate has not mentioned the president in any of his public remarks.
As Trump's approval ratingremains particularly low in Georgia, Jackson and other down-ballot Republicans had one clear message to their supporters Sunday night — don't think about Trump.
'Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater'
Before Jackson took the stage on Nov. 1, he was joined by other down-ballot Republican candidates who emphasized the need for a significant election-day turnout following lower early voting numbers in rural counties, particularly those who voted overwhelmingly for Trump in 2024.
"We're behind right now. If the voting polls were closed right now, we would lose all of our major races. We're down to the fourth down, you've got fourth and long. What are you going to do?" Rick McCormick, an incumbent U.S. Representative for Georgia's 7th district, which includes Cumming, who is running for reelection, said. "For all those people who are mad at Trump, or maybe they supported Burt (Jones in the primary), that's fine. But don't throw the out the baby with the bathwater. Don't pout. This is not about even them. This is about their children and their children's children."
This midterm election will determine how the 2028 presidential election is handled, McCormick said, when positions like Secretary of State are on the ballot. During the 2020 election, Trump notoriously called then-Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to "find" an additional 11,000 or so votes to swing the election in his favor.
"This fight is never going to be over. As soon as we get done with this election, we'll be talking about (the next)," McCormick said. "You don't go to the gym one day. You go to the gym for the rest of your life. You finish the race."
Greg Dolezal, the Republican running for lieutenant governor and also a Cumming local, said he was worried about Republicans who may decide to stay home in protest of the Trump Administration.
"I'm hearing all over the state from Republicans that are flirting with this idea of staying home on Tuesday because they think they're going to send a message to Washington, D.C.," Dolezal said. "And if we allow them to make that mistake, they won't send a message to Washington D.C. They will send Keisha Lance Bottoms to the governor's mansion. So here's the mission, guys. 48 hours. We've got 48 hours."
The party drew upon the popularity of Kemp as well as former Republican Governor Sonny Perdue, the first Republican governor voted into office in Georgia after a long string of Democrats, who called this race the "most consequential election I can remember."
"This part of Georgia helped us 25 years ago change Georgia. Have we become so complacent we've forgotten? Folks, I hope not, because that's what's at stake," Perdue said.
Turnout will decide the governor's race
Early voting turnout in the Georgia midterms broke all state records, with nearly 3 million votes cast both in person and through mail-in voting.
The votes surpassed 2022 midterm numbers by Thursday afternoon with a day and a half of early voting still to go. The majority of the high turnout can be traced to the metro Atlanta counties, but there was also a much higher turnout of young voters and Black voters, both of whom tend to lean Democratic.
According to the Secretary of State's Office, more than 836,000 Black voters cast their ballots early, and 163,156 voters under the age of 25 voted early. DeKalb County had 47.1% of the county population vote early, the highest in the Atlanta metro. Overall, 37.5% of Georgia's voting population didn't wait until election day to vote.
Turnout numbers in rural counties has been significantly lower, including in counties that voted for Trump in all three presidential elections.
In previous elections, Democrats have had higher turnout for early voting when Republicans dominated election day turnout. If that is the case again, trends that favor Democrats before election day could turn once Republicans hit the polls.
"The next two days matter," Jackson said. "One more conversation, one more phone call, one more person who gets to the polls because you didn't assume somebody else would ask. That's how we finish this campaign, and that's how we win big for Georgia."
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 USA TODAY: Rick Jackson makes final plea to voters — Trump isn't on the ballot
