This week, the Republican candidates called BS on each other – literally – as Jones and Jackson continued attacking each other with scathing new ads and vicious online feuds. This comes as the candidates have committed more than $88 million to destroy each other, with this raucous race playing out on the airwaves all across the state.
Here’s more of what’s happened in the GOP’s big-money brawl for governor:
DATA CENTER DEBACLE DRIVES CHAOS AMONG REPUBLICANS: Recent reporting from WMAZ revealed that Jackson invests in a data center in Texas, which unleashed a firestorm of chaos and infighting within the Republican field this week.
- Jones slammed Jackson’s investment, accusing Jackson of “lies, lies, lies” and calling him a “false prophet” in a video posted Saturday. Jackson’s campaign mocked the video on social media.
- Carr got in on the action, posting two videos mocking Jones’ response and desperately trying to get a few laughs as his candidacy struggled to gain traction.
- This all comes after months of attacks from mysterious group Georgians for Integrity, which has spent $19 million hammering Jones’ efforts to change the law to build data centers that would enrich his family.
JONES, JACKSON AD FEUD SHOWS NO SIGN OF STOPPING: As this “slugfest” plays out on the airwaves, Jones and Jackson ramped up the attacks even further this week.
- ON TV: On Thursday, Jones’ campaign launched a brutal new TV ad attacking Jackson as a “fraud” who got “rich off a Medicare kickback scam targeting Georgia’s seniors and pocketed nearly a billion dollars in no-bid taxpayer contracts.”
- ONLINE: Jackson has spent big on digital ads, shelling out more than $250,000 just this week on one digital ad hitting Jones for making “a fortune in public office” and blocking legislation to stop the sale of illegal Chinese vape pens in Georgia.”
- ON SOCIAL MEDIA: The candidates continued to spar on social media, with Jones sharing a video that “Rick Jackson’s money can’t hide the truth” and Jackson firing back with a series of memes mocking Jones’ record of self-enrichment.
WITH LEGISLATIVE SESSION OVER, CANDIDATES CALL BS ON EACH OTHER: With legislative session wrapped up, the candidates pummeled even more attacks on each other – and quite literally called BS on their Republican rivals.
On Tuesday, Jones posted a video in which he accused Jackson of selling BS – saying that his opponent’s campaign was “pure, 100%” bullshit.- That launched a firestorm of mockery from Jackson, who highlighted Jones’ failure to deliver key priorities in this year’s legislative session, saying that “Burt’s record is BS.”
- Carr also attacked Jones’ record in legislative session in a Tuesday AJC guest column – and his team also “gleeful[ly]” chided Jones, with Carr’s chief strategist remarking that “If my candidate ever attempted to hold cans of BS, I would tackle him before any video or photographic evidence was allowed.”
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