As Georgians pay higher and higher prices at the pump, new reporting from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reveals that billionaire Rick Jackson is deeply invested in Big Oil, profiting off Georgians’ pain as the average gas price has surged over 25 percent since last month and diesel now stands at more than $5 a gallon.
The AJC reports that at a campaign stop in Blakely last week, Jackson revealed he was the “largest outside investor” of a newly announced oil refinery in Brownsville, Texas.
This eyebrow-raising admission was in response to a question about price gouging at the pump – a top concern among Georgians – but rather than offer real solutions, Jackson went on and on about policies that would benefit him and his Big Oil associates.
“Georgians are paying higher and higher prices at the pump, but Rick Jackson just sees dollar signs. That’s because he’s just another Big Oil billionaire trying to buy the Governor’s Mansion so that he can raise costs and line the pockets of his billionaire buddies,” said Jake Strickland, communications advisor to the Democratic Party of Georgia.
Jackson is just one candidate in this messy GOP primary profiting off Georgians’ pain at the pump. Trump-endorsed Burt Jones is heir to the Jones Petroleum Company, and previous reporting showed that his leadership committee paid at least $103,000 to his family businesses.
And since entering this race, Jackson has repeatedly shown just how out-of-touch he is with Georgians. He previously shared on The Martha Zoller Show that it was a “surprise” to learn about the high costs facing Georgia homeowners in the midst of the state’s housing affordability crisis – even as Republicans have been in power in Georgia for more than two decades.
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