Dalton, GA — There are two paths forward for Republicans in the two weeks before the midterm elections, and candidates at the top of the Georgia ballot are split on which path to take.
Rick Jackson and Mike Collins, running as the Republican nominees for governor and Senate, respectively, have both been endorsed by President Trump. Both candidates have stood with Trump at rallies, said they would work closely with the Trump Administration if elected and have marketed their campaigns to Trump's strong MAGA base in Georgia.
But while Collins is still strongly on the Trump train, Jackson is backing off.
Trump's support among the rest of the Republican party in Georgia is waning. A new poll published by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Monday had the president's
approval rating down to 42%, as of Oct. 15. That's a bit higher than a Civiqs poll that found Trump at 34% approval in Georgia at the beginning of October.
On Friday, President Trump landed via helicopter at a municipal airport in Dalton, a textile manufacturing town in Georgia's northwest corner, to stump for both Jackson and Collins. Both candidates were in attendance, and addressed the crowd before Trump took the stage.
Collins applauded the president, celebrating his hardline immigration policy and the war in Iran. He attacked his opponent, incumbent Senator Jon Ossoff, using insults commonly coined by the president. He continued to spout theories about the 2020 election and mail-in voting. He thanked Trump on social media after the event, sharing photos and videos from the rally.
When it was Jackson's turn, spectators may not have known it was a Trump rally at all, save for the "Make America Great Again" banner across the back of the airplane hanger. The gubernatorial hopeful talked about his story growing up in foster care, his plans for cutting the state income tax in half and his attacks against opponent Keisha Lance Bottoms. After the rally, the Jackson campaign didn't share any photos or mention the joint appearance with Collins and the president on social media.
As the midterms loom, the question is whether Trump's association with the top Republicans will help push them over the edge on election day, or, will it be the nail in the coffin of a failed campaign?
Trump focuses on Senate race in Georgia rally
"18 days from now, the people of Georgia are going to defeat your weak, arrogant, hate-filled, radical left senator who is really, I call him Pee Wee Herman, looks like Pee Wee, his name is Jon Ossoff," Trump began in front of the Dalton crowd. "And we're going to send Mike Collins to the United States Senate."
Collins faces an uphill battle and has for the entirety of the general campaign against Ossoff after winning a tight primary runoff against Derek Dooley.
In a poll published by Quantus Insights on Monday, Collins trails Ossoff 52.7% to 45.4%, as of Oct. 17. Collins has trailed by double digits in some polls throughout the summer.
Ossoff is running as the only Democratic senator up for reelection in a state that Trump won in 2024, but his incumbency and support from across the political aisle has made him a favorite not only for the Senate seat, but possibly for higher office.
An ongoing House ethics investigation into the congressman over misuse of taxpayer funds and multiple reports of ties to white nationalists also hasn't made Collins' race any easier.
Collins is a self-described MAGA warrior, the author of the Laken Riley Act and a 2020 election denier. He praises the president in debate appearances and public events, and took his time on stage to once again thank Trump.
"I want to do something real quick, and that's just tell you personally, not just from me but from everybody in here and across this state and across this country. Sir, we appreciate your leadership, your backbone, your standing up for America and putting America first," Collins directed at Trump who stood behind him on stage. "You are giving the next generation the opportunity to chase their version of the American Dream. Thank you."
On Friday, Collins own remarks stayed on typical MAGA talking points from illegal immigration to trans athletes. He shared the message that diesel prices are going to go down, and that some high costs are part of the price to pay to make sure Iran never has a nuclear weapon. And he attacked Ossoff, a new favorite target of the president.
The Collins campaign is doubling down on Trump as early voting in the state has already begun, and issues like affordability are top of mind for Georgia voters.
Jackson takes step back from Trump
"We are going to send a great friend of mine and an amazing, amazing man, Rick Jackson, will be your next governor. Amazing," Trump said of Jackson when he took the stage. But the praise remained one-sided, aside from a pointed wave and smile from Jackson.
In many ways, Jackson's quick rise to the top of Georgia's political sphere mirrors Trump's own rise in 2016. Jackson is a healthcare CEO and self-made billionaire, stepping into politics in his 70s as a second-act to his already successful career. In just five months, Jackson went from a name many across the state may not know to the Republican nominee, thanks in part to his personal fortune self-funding his campaign.
Jackson said he would be "Trump's favorite governor" and "like Trump with a Southern tone" in public appearances shortly after a tight Republican primary race against Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, but when he spoke to supporters in Dalton on Friday, he didn't mention the president at all. References to Trump have been removed from his campaign website, and when asked about working with the Trump Administration during an Atlanta News First debate with Bottoms, Jackson said he would promise to work with any administration or party.
Jackson spoke for around five minutes behind the podium, earning cheers from the crowd with lines like "bad mayors don't make good governors," referencing Bottoms' previous role as the mayor of Atlanta. He also applauded Gov. Brian Kemp, a popular Georgia figure who backed Jackson's primary opponent, whose opinion still holds significant weight for the center-right branch of the party even as he finishes his second and last gubernatorial term.
"I am running to take care of God's children and our rich community," Jackson said in closing. "Your fight will be my life, and I will never abandon you.
Jackson's experience in the foster care system has been a key tenet of his campaign, and when Trump invited Jackson back on stage with him, he made his only reference to Trump and praised his work for foster kids. Jackson quickly shook the president's hand before ducking back off stage.
Jackson's race with Bottoms is much closer, well within the margin of error and likely to go to a runoff in December, polls show. Quantus Insights reports a 49% Jackson lead to Bottoms' 47%, with neither candidate pulling ahead as early voting begins.
But as the president prepares to return to Georgia again later this week, his fourth trip to the state this year, Jackson will not appear at his side, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
Ossoff, Bottoms show united front in response
The Democratic ticket, however, is united and pulling in support from big names in the party.
Ossoff and Bottoms appeared at a joint rally in Cobb County on Saturday after appearing together at multiple events throughout the summer.
Bottoms has used her public appearances and debates to praise Ossoff, and vice versa, and that message continued on stage.
Both Democrats also continue to make the connection between the Republicans and Trump, not allowing voters to forget the support they have shown the president.
"This is what small men like Donald Trump and Mike Collins will never understand — that our national greatness flows not through our blood or our genes but through our ideas, our aspirations, and our care for one another," Ossoff said.
"Slick Rick Jackson is running to be Donald Trump's favorite governor," Bottoms echoed. "(I'm) running to be Georgia's favorite governor."
And the two Democrats will get some major backup next week.
Kamala Harris and Barack Obama will both be making appearances in Georgia next week to stump for Ossoff and Bottoms, adding to the endorsements Biden and Obama have already made for the candidates.
"Georgia! I'll be in Atlanta on October 28 for a rally to support (Keisha Lance Bottoms), (Jon Ossoff) and Democrats fighting to make your life better," Obama said in a post on X.
Harris will headline the Fulton Forward Dinner on Oct. 30, a fundraiser for the party in Atlanta, as well as stump with Ossoff in the days before.
Irene Wright covers Georgia politics 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: Will Trump's visits to Georgia help or hurt the Republican ticket?
