Could the recent FBI raid in Georgia affect the midterm elections?
The FBI’s recent seizure of election materials in Georgia could undermine voter confidence in the integrity of future midterm elections.
Rick Jackson, a health care executive and political outsider, has only been running for Georgia governor for 10 days, but he’s already making headway in the polls and facing opponents in the courts.
Bert Jones, who currently serves as Georgia’s lieutenant governor, was once considered the Republican front-runner after endorsing President Donald Trump several months ago and posing alongside him in a recent video.
Jackson then entered the race with an organized team and millions of dollars spent on his campaign.
As of February 9, a poll by Co/efficient shows Mr. Jackson as the top candidate in the Republican primary with an approval rating of 24%, ahead of Mr. Jones at 16% and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger at 9%.
The race intensified when Mr. Jackson’s campaign filed a lawsuit against Mr. Jones, Attorney General Chris Carr (who is running for governor), and other state officials, alleging that Mr. Jones’ campaign contributions were unconstitutional.
Jones’ campaign financing criticized as “unequal and discriminatory”
The lawsuit alleges that Jones’ position as sitting lieutenant governor gives him a unique and unconstitutional advantage in raising money to support his campaign.
The complaint says the lieutenant governor can create a “leadership committee” that is exempt from the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Act, which sets financial limits on campaign contributions.
Candidates in statewide elections are limited to $8,400 per donor in primary elections and $4,800 in runoffs.
Mr. Jones’ group can raise “unrestricted donations,” the complaint alleges, allowing it to create “a de facto second super-campaign committee for Lt. Governor Jones against Mr. Jackson and other candidates.”
“Prior to the primary election, only the sitting lieutenant governor is permitted to form a leadership committee,” the complaint states. “Incumbent lieutenant governors can thus amass a political war chest of unrestricted contributions for their gubernatorial races, and use those unlimited funds to support their own candidacy and to attack their primary challengers. They have one hand, actually both hands, legally tied behind their back.”
Other candidates tried it first
Mr. Jackson and his team are not the first adversaries to go after Mr. Jones over campaign finance.
Safe Affordable Georgia filed a lawsuit in December on behalf of Secretary of State and gubernatorial candidate Raffensperger, asking a judge to allow the political action committee to operate like Jones’ leadership committee.
The PAC could work with Raffensperger’s campaign, which was previously prohibited.
Attorney General Chris Carr and his team also filed a lawsuit in early 2025 to bar Jones from using a leadership committee in his gubernatorial race.
So far, all legal challenges have failed.
Jones’ team calls lawsuit ‘stupid’
Jones’ representatives largely dismissed the new lawsuit in a statement to CBS Atlanta.
“This foolish lawsuit has already been tried and failed twice by non-Trump candidates in this campaign, and will fail a third time,” a Jones campaign spokesperson told the paper. “It’s not really surprising that the gang of con artists surrounding Rick Jackson convinced him to waste more money.”
Eileen Wright is an Atlanta Connect reporter for USA Today’s Deep South Connect team. X Find her at @IreneEWright or email her at ismith@usatodayco.com.
