Rick Jackson defeats Burt Jones in Georgia governor runoff

Rick Jackson turned Georgia’s Republican governor runoff into a test of where the party’s energy now lives. With more than 80% of the expected vote tallied, Jackson held a 53% to 47% lead over Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, and NBC News projected the billionaire healthcare executive would face Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms in November.

The county map showed how Jackson won it. He led Fulton County by 26.1 points, Cobb by 15.0 points, Gwinnett by 14.3 points, DeKalb by 17.4 points and Forsyth by 20.8 points, while Jones’s strongest showings came in places such as Lowndes, where he led by 33.6 points, Baker by 24.8 points and Wilkes by 18.2 points. In the May 19 primary, Jones had built his first-place finish on a broader rural advantage, while Jackson had already been strongest in the Atlanta area and near Augusta and Columbus.

Turnout also changed the shape of the race. Georgia officials and local broadcasters said the runoff drew more than 1 million voters, but that was still well below the more than 2 million who voted in the May primary. That smaller electorate, combined with Jackson’s metro Atlanta strength, suggests a coalition built for dense suburban counties and the state’s larger urban centers can overcome a Republican base that still rewards rural margins.

Jackson’s path to the nomination was powered by money and a claim to independence. He said he spent more than $100 million of his own money on the race, and he campaigned as a political outsider even as Jones leaned on Donald Trump’s endorsement throughout the runoff. Outgoing Gov. Brian Kemp endorsed Jones on Sunday night after early voting had ended, but the late switch did not alter the outcome.

Jackson delivered his victory speech in Atlanta, where he highlighted his personal story of escaping abusive parents and spending time in the state foster care system. He also attacked Bottoms as “an absolute disaster for Georgia,” setting up a general election that will test whether his outsider pitch can travel beyond a low-turnout Republican runoff and into a statewide contest that is likely to be far more competitive.