Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones is criticizing rival Rick Jackson’s campaign spending as the billionaire breaks state records in the final stretch of a tight runoff for the Republican gubernatorial nomination. Jones’ campaign has released a new ad featuring AI-generated imagery of voters recoiling at Jackson’s omnipresent image, saying “Rick Jackson is everywhere – spending over $100 million trying to buy our vote,” and adding “But Georgia is not for sale.”
Runoff Election
Jackson, a former healthcare executive, has leveraged his personal fortune to elbow into the race, dropping tens of millions of dollars on ads and mailers to place himself in front of voters. He finished just 6 points behind Jones in the first round of the GOP primary last month, beating out well-known Georgia officials like Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Attorney General Chris Carr.
Entering the weekend, Jackson had given his campaign more than $100 million and ranked as the second-biggest advertiser of the 2026 election cycle, breaking Georgia gubernatorial campaign records while spending $90 million on advertising. Jones, a multimillionaire whose family found success in the petroleum industry, has also contributed to spiraling totals, loaning his campaign $25 million and spending more than $35 million on advertising.
The state official has leaned heavily on President Donald Trump’s endorsement, holding a tele-rally with the president this week. Trump said on the call, “It’s very important you get out and vote for Burt. He’s been with me from the very beginning.”
Campaign Spending
Jackson has tried to leverage his money, donating $1 million to the pro-Trump super PAC MAGA Inc. a little over a month before he launched his governor campaign — even though the president had already endorsed Jones last year. However, history has not been kind to wealthy, self-funding candidates in Georgia, with former Sen. Kelly Loeffler’s high-profile runoff loss in 2021 and multimillionaire businessman Guy Millner’s losses in the 1990s serving as examples.
While Jones and Jackson continue to rack up massive spending in the Republican gubernatorial runoff, Democratic former mayor of Atlanta Keisha Lance Bottoms won the Democratic nomination outright in a crowded primary field last month. Bottoms has had a free hand to consolidate her support and begin her general election campaign, partnering with Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff, who faces his own competitive reelection this year.
Original reporting: KTVZ (Central Oregon) — read the source article.
