Today, Northeast Georgia community leaders held a press conference to hold Rick Jackson accountable for his long record of self-enrichment on the backs of taxpayers ahead of his rally in Cleveland this afternoon.
Congressional candidate Caitlyn Gegen, and State House candidates Rebecca Sims, Roger Smith, and Nick Mitchell, called out Jackson for his long record of getting rich on the backs of taxpayers making more than $1 billion from state contracts from state agencies, including no-bid contracts – even as he strongly opposes expanding affordable, quality health care for working Georgians.
Here’s what they had to say about Jackson’s long record of self-enrichment.
GA-09 Congressional Candidate Caitlyn Gegen: “There’s a through line in today’s Republican leadership. Republican leaders like Rick Jackson are prioritizing their pocketbooks over we the people. We need representatives who are going to fight for us, not their bank accounts. We need representatives who are not going to capitulate to MAGA conspiracies. Rick Jackson is supporting Trump’s election denials, but we need a representative who is going to uphold our Georgian values.”
State House Candidate Rebecca Sims: “Georgians deserve leaders who are accountable, transparent, and focused on making life better for working families. Rick Jackson is not advocating for those kinds of families that put working families first. Instead, he is focused on his own interests. We’ve all seen the reports. His companies have received more than 1 billion in payments from Georgia agencies, our tax dollars since 2020, including hundreds of millions of dollars through no bid contracts. Today, he’ll come to Cleveland asking for your support, but he’s offering more of the same approach that has made life harder for everyday people.”
State House Candidate Roger Smith: “My campaign is about giving everyone a fair shake. That’s an old mountain value. But the way Rick Jackson has made his money is anything but fair. He has made money off of health care on the back of taxpayers. And what’s worse, he stands accused of defrauding Georgia seniors through his billion-dollar healthcare company, he even paid $700,000 just two years ago to resolve allegations that he participated in a Medicare kickback scheme. I just have to wonder how he can walk into our communities, into Cleveland, look us in the eye, and say he’s looking out for us. He’s only looking out for himself.”
State House Candidate Nick Mitchell: “I can’t get through a single conversation without hearing about how devastating our healthcare crisis has been for Georgia families. But Rick Jackson, did he see it as a crisis in need of a solution? Did he see it as an opportunity to step in and make life better for his neighbors? No, no. Rick Jackson saw it as a way to boost his bottom line off the backs of hardworking Georgians.”
As a reminder, Jackson has a long record of self-enrichment at the expense of working Georgians.
- Rick Jackson has gotten rich on healthcare as Georgians have suffered. He’s enriched himself on no-bid state contracts, and has received over a billion dollars from state agencies.
- Jackson also strongly opposes Medicaid expansion. Georgia leaders’ refusal to expand Medicaid has resulted in the closure of nine rural hospitals all across Georgia since 2010 – all while enriching himself off Georgians’ healthcare.
- Jackson has also admitted to profiting off Trump’s policies that hurt Georgia, including paying lower taxes because of the One Big Beautiful Bill that resulted in the closure of a labor and delivery unit in rural northeast Georgia.
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