Jun. 16, 2026, 9:49 PM EDT<\/time><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Healthcare executive Rick Jackson clinched the Republican gubernatorial nomination on Tuesday, pulling off a win over Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and securing a spot in the November election against Democratic nominee Keisha Lance Bottoms.<\/p>\n

The pair advanced from the Republican primary after neither candidate secured the majority needed to avoid a runoff on May 19.<\/p>\n

The contest came as Republicans seek to hold the governor’s mansion in a state that has become one of the country’s premier political battlegrounds. Gov. Brian Kemp is term-limited and cannot seek re-election, creating the first open governor’s race in Georgia since 2018. Kemp<\/a> threw his weight behind Jones over the weekend.<\/p>\n

Jackson, a businessman who entered politics as an outsider candidate<\/a>sought to position himself as an alternative to career politicians. His campaign<\/a> focused heavily on economic issues, government spending and opposition to what he describes as establishment politics.<\/p>\n

Jackson has argued that Republicans need a nominee who can energize voters frustrated with the political system. He has also attempted to appeal to conservatives who want a candidate outside Georgia’s existing political leadership structure.<\/p>\n

The runoff highlights divisions within the Georgia Republican Party over the direction of the state’s conservative movement after Kemp’s tenure. While both candidates embraced many of the same conservative policy positions, they have differed over experience, electability and the future of Republican leadership in the Peach State.<\/p>\n

The race also attracted attention because of Georgia’s importance ahead of the midterms. Democrats have made significant gains in the state over the past decade, winning presidential<\/a> and Senate races while turning Georgia into a key battleground. Republicans, however, have continued to perform strongly in statewide races, including Kemp’s decisive re-election victory<\/a> in 2022.<\/p>\n

Bottoms, who served as Atlanta’s mayor from 2018 to 2022 and later worked in the Biden administration, secured the Democratic nomination and is preparing for a competitive general election campaign. Democrats view the open-seat contest as an opportunity to regain control of the governor’s office for the first time in more than two decades.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Ebony Davis is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW based in Washington, D.C. She previously worked at BLN as a campaign reporter covering elections and politics.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n