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Published on May 20, 2026
Burt Jones and Rick Jackson have advanced to the race Georgia Republican primary for the governor, intensifying the tough battle to represent the party in the mid-term elections in November.
Jones, the lieutenant governor of Georgia, and Jackson, a health care billionaire, will face each other in a June 16 runoff after garnering enough support to win Tuesday’s vote.
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The winner will seek to replace Republican Governor Brian Kemp, who is barred from running again.
US President Donald Trump endorsed Jones last year, and Jones thanked him on Tuesday night. A Jones victory would bolster Trump’s influence in Georgia, a battleground state where his reputation as a political kingmaker has been mixed.
Democrats are re-selecting their nominee as they try to win the governor’s office for the first time since 1998.
The Democratic field includes former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, former Republican Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan, former state Senator Jason Esteves and former state Labor Commissioner Mike Thurmond.
Jasmine Clark gets a chance to be nominated for the main Georgia House competition
Separately, Democrat Jasmine Clark won her party’s nomination Tuesday to replace the late Representative David Scott in Georgia’s 13th Congressional District after Scott died in April while seeking another term.
Clark, a congressman, medical expert and professor at Emory University, has pledged to prioritize science in Congress. His campaign was fueled by more than $2m in outside spending from cryptocurrency-related groups, although Clark said he did not seek their support.
He is expected to be heavily favored in the November election, where Jonathan Chavez is expected to become the Republican nominee after competing in the primary.
Meanwhile, two-time representative Mike Collins went Republican in the US Senate race in Georgia.
Collins, 58, who owns a family-owned trucking business and represents a district east of Atlanta, has closely aligned himself with Trump and calls himself a “MAGA workhorse.” Immigration has been a major focus of his campaign.
Georgia Republicans want to challenge Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff.
Among those running against Collins, representative Buddy Carter touted his conservative record in Congress, while former college football coach Derek Dooley presented himself as a political outsider.
Millions flocked to Georgia’s gubernatorial race
More than $125m has been spent on advertising for the Republican governor of Georgia, with more than $66m of that spent by Jackson’s campaign, according to the most recent figures from advertising firm AdImpact. In contrast, Democrats running for governor only spent about $4m.
Jones says his independent record as a state senator and governor, combined with Trump’s support, should make him an obvious choice for Republican voters.
“I think Georgia has spoken, y’all,” Jones said at his election night party.
“The reason I know we’re going to win is friends and family,” he said.
Jackson is betting that his foreign policy will win over the anti-establishment. On Tuesday night, he called Jones a politician who is “working within the system for personal gain”.
“I can’t be bought, and I’m not going back,” Jackson said.
