The GOP primary for governor got a lot messier this week as Rick Jackson and Burt Jones sparred over everything from endorsements to debates, aggravating what the AJC described Wednesday as one of the “most bitter intraparty feuds in recent Georgia history.”
Here’s more on this nasty and expensive GOP race for governor:
EVEN ON GEORGIA AG WEEK, ENTIRE GOP FIELD PUSHES EXTREME POLICIES THAT HURT FARMERS: It’s Georgia Agriculture Awareness Week, and the entire GOP gubernatorial field has repeatedly proven just how bad they are for Georgia’s farmers.
- Whether it’s Rick Jackson admitting that he’s made money off Trump’s tariffs that have hurt Georgia farmers – or Burt Jones sharing to 11Alive that he was not concerned about the tariffs’ impacts on farmers – the Republican candidates could not be more out-of-touch with Georgia’s farming communities.
- Jones, Jackson, Raffensperger, and Carr all vocally support Trump’s reckless tariff tax increases that hurt rural communities, even as soybean farmers across Georgia are now pleading that no more tariffs be imposed on them.
- The entire GOP field also vocally opposes Medicaid expansion, which has resulted in nine Georgia rural hospitals closing their doors since 2010 and has made healthcare far more inaccessible for rural communities, with the Albany Herald reporting that in many parts of southwest Georgia, the nearest hospital may be 40 miles away.
CORRUPTION ALLEGATIONS CONTINUE TO FLY: Jones and Jackson continued their brutal attacks, with new ads and fiery online feuds accusing each other of deceit and corruption. This comes as Jones and Jackson have spent more than a combined whopping $60 million on ads.
- Jackson’s campaign released a Succession-themed video Thursday attacking Jones’ self-enrichment, saying that “For Burt Jones, it’s all about the family business – not you.”
- Jackson’s campaign also attacked “Burt Jones and his cartel minions” for one of their mailers on Wednesday, saying that they are “making up lies out of thin air” and that “they’re as desperate as it gets.”
- Jones’ campaign then released a new ad Wednesday accusing Jackson of being a
“fraud” and a “Never Trumper” who has bankrolled President Trump’s GOP opponents, a label he doubled down on in a Thursday interview with Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade.
DEBATE DEBACLE ROCKS GOP FIELD: A debate about debates exploded Thursday after Jackson told a group in Watkinsville that “[debates] don’t actually change things.”
- Jones shot back on social media, saying that “Georgia voters deserve to hear directly from the candidates, not just in flashy overpriced TV ads.”
- Jackson’s campaign took it one step further, saying that “Only desperate and losing candidates propose debates.”
JONES AND JACKSON SQUARE OFF OVER GOP ENDORSEMENTS: Jones and Jackson are sparring over GOP endorsements, with the AJC reporting Thursday Jackson “told a Winder crowd he’s not asking members of the Legislature to endorse him because he’s been told there have been reprisals from his GOP opponent, Lt Gov. Burt Jones, for those who do so.”
- Jones’ campaign immediately shot back, saying in a statement: “Oh bless Rick Jackson’s heart, what a precious way to explain not having many endorsements.”
- Jones’ campaign also added: “Rick Jackson’s endorsements? Bought and paid for, or non-existent – take your pick.”
- But even that brutal attack did not deter Jackson from admitting that he’s sent “a lot of politicians a ton of cash, good and bad ones” in a Thursday social media post.
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