Businessman Rick Jackson has won the Republican nomination for governor of Georgia, defeating Trump-endorsed Lt. Gov. Burt Jones in one of the most expensive and closely watched primary battles of the 2026 cycle.
Decision Desk HQ projected Jackson as the winner Tuesday night, capping a campaign in which the healthcare executive spent more than $100 million of his own fortune to overcome endorsements from both President Donald Trump and outgoing Republican Gov. Brian Kemp. Jackson will now face former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who secured the Democratic nomination in May, in what is expected to be one of the most competitive governor’s races in the country.
The result represents a rare setback for Trump’s endorsement operation. The president backed Jones nearly a year ago and repeatedly reaffirmed his support throughout the campaign. Kemp, despite his often-complicated relationship with Trump, joined the President and also endorsed Jones on Sunday.
Yet Jackson’s massive personal spending transformed the race. A relative political outsider, Jackson built statewide name recognition through an unprecedented advertising blitz centered on immigration enforcement, tax cuts, healthcare manufacturing, and his personal story of growing up in Georgia’s foster care system before becoming a billionaire entrepreneur.
The contest also revealed an unusual split within the Trump political orbit. While President Trump stood firmly behind Jones, Donald Trump Jr. publicly praised Jackson on the eve of the election, highlighting his investments in domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing and energy infrastructure. Trump Jr. stopped short of issuing a formal endorsement but described Jackson as a “good man” who had helped advance America First economic priorities.
“Regardless of what happens in the Georgia Governor’s race tomorrow, we should celebrate the patriots building up MAGA and an America First economy like Rick Jackson has,” Trump Jr. wrote Monday. Jackson’s victory suggests that enormous personal wealth and outsider appeal can still overcome even the combined political weight of political kingpins like Trump and Kemp in a Republican primary. The race was widely viewed as a test of influence for both men. Trump remains the dominant figure in Republican politics nationally, while Kemp leaves office as one of the most popular governors in the country and a potential 2028 presidential contender.
Attention now shifts to the general election, where Jackson will face Bottoms, the former Atlanta mayor and Biden administration official who has long been considered one of Georgia Democrats’ strongest statewide candidates.
With Georgia continuing to occupy the center of the nation’s political battleground map — perhaps only behind Pennsylvania in swing-state importance — the Jackson-Bottoms contest is expected to become one of the most closely watched governor’s races in America this November.
