Rick Jackson wins Georgia GOP gubernatorial nomination, CBS News projects

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Rick Jackson, the billionaire healthcare enforcement who grew up successful poorness and spent clip successful Atlanta's nationalist lodging projects, has won the Republican runoff for Georgia governor, CBS News projects.

Jackson is projected to person defeated Lt. Gov. Burt Jones to assertion the GOP information connected Tuesday.

Jackson's triumph ends 1 of the astir contentious Republican superior battles Georgia has seen successful years, a contention that produced 2 lawsuits, a defamation claim, and a mobile billboard circling metro Atlanta.

The self-described blimpish outsider entered the contention successful February 2026 and rapidly reshaped the contest, pledging up to $50 cardinal of his ain wealth to the run and spending much than immoderate different campaigner successful the field. According to advertizing quality institution AdImpact, Jackson's run and allied spending totaled much than $50 cardinal connected tv ads unsocial heading into the runoff.

Jackson built his run astir a compelling idiosyncratic story: increasing up successful poverty, moving done 5 foster homes and 13 schools, and surviving successful Atlanta's Techwood Homes projects earlier gathering Jackson Healthcare into a institution that operates successful each 50 states, serves much than 20 cardinal patients annually, and generates much than $3 cardinal successful revenue.

Attorney General Chris Carr endorsed Jackson after finishing 4th successful the May primary. Carr praised Jackson arsenic a "successful businessman and governmental outsider" who would "build connected Brian Kemp's legacy."

In the days earlier the runoff, Jackson secured different high-profile endorsement from Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.

GOP Gubernatorial Candidate Rick Jackson Holds Primary Election Night Event

Jones entered the runoff arsenic the frontrunner, backed by President Trump, who joined him connected a tele-rally 2 weeks earlier the May superior and has endorsed him since August 2025. Trump noted that Jones was the archetypal subordinate of the Georgia State Assembly to endorse him for president. Jones, a sixth-generation Georgian and erstwhile University of Georgia shot letterman, has served arsenic Georgia's 13th lieutenant politician since 2022 and spent much than a decennary successful the State Senate.

The contention betwixt the 2 men turned sharply negative. Jackson sued Jones successful national court, arguing that a Georgia run concern mechanics known arsenic a enactment committee gave Jones an unconstitutional fundraising advantage. A national justice temporarily blocked Jones' enactment committee, which had accumulated astir $15.9 million, astir 5 times the magnitude successful his regular run account, from raising oregon spending wealth portion the ineligible situation played out.

Jackson besides filed a defamation suit against Jones successful Fulton County Superior Court aft Jones' run alleged connected societal media that Jackson had made his luck recruiting for Planned Parenthood and helping doctors execute transgender procedures connected minors. Jackson called the allegations knowingly mendacious and deliberately timed to harm him among blimpish voters arsenic polling showed the contention tightening. Jones' run did not backmost down, circulating a mobile billboard successful metro Atlanta and launching a website attacking Jackson's concern background.

Despite the attacks, Jackson held on.

Both candidates had staked retired akin argumentation ground, pledging to chopped taxes, enactment instrumentality enforcement, combat amerciable immigration, and reason what they picture arsenic woke ideology successful schools. The argumentation overlap meant the contention was decided much connected biography, money, and governmental allegiance than connected issues.

Jackson volition present look the Democratic nominee, erstwhile Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, successful the November wide election.

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