Keisha Lance Bottoms wins Democratic nomination for Georgia governor
Keisha Lance Bottoms won the Democratic nomination for governor of Georgia in the primary election. She vowed to challenge President Trump’s policies.
Georgia’s Republican gubernatorial runoff election has been decided.
Current Lieutenant Governor Bert Jones and healthcare CEO Rick Jackson have been battling for the state’s top spot in a crowded Republican primary for months. Each calls themselves a fighter for President Trump in Georgia, leaning toward the MAGA crowd even as the president’s approval ratings have reached historic lows.
They finished in the top two spots in Tuesday night’s race, but neither of them broke the 50% threshold needed to earn the nomination. The final election will be held on June 16th.
The battle continues over who will face Democratic former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms in November, and whether the candidate’s close ties to the president will help or hurt his campaign.
Trump remains popular in Georgia, Republicans rely on him
President Trump’s approval ratings have continued to decline since the start of the Iran war, hitting record lows in both his first and second terms. Nationally, a poll released on May 20 found the president’s approval rating on the economy was just 33%, making it one of the typical issues for Trump to do well in polls.
He has also suffered a major economic blow among Republicans, with his approval rating falling from 78% to just 63% since the war, according to AP-NORC data.
However, support for Mr. Trump has remained relatively strong in Georgia since the fall, especially among Republicans. Congressman Clay Fuller, who won a special election to fill the seat vacated by Marjorie Taylor Greene in Georgia’s 14th District, attributed his success primarily to the high level of support for the president in northwest Georgia.
Jones and Jackson are also hopeful that Trump will remain popular into November.
Jones received Trump’s endorsement early in the campaign, before Jackson announced his candidacy for governor, and never missed an opportunity to post a photo with the president, share a message from Trump in a video or write “endorsed Trump” in front of his name on campaign materials.
“President Trump endorsed me because he knows I have a track record of getting things done. And I’m just getting started. I’m asking for your vote to ensure Georgia remains a great place to live, work, and raise a family,” Jones said in a post on X.
Although Jackson missed the Trump train, he said he remains faithful to the MAGA message and will be a fierce fighter for Trump in the Peach State.
In remarks on election night, Jackson said he was “Trump’s favorite governor” and that he was “like Trump, but with a Southern tongue.” He even emulates the political rise of Trump, who rose to key seats as an outsider, businessman and billionaire despite never having held public office. The same appeals Trump made in 2016 resonated with Georgians during Jackson’s relatively short campaign to keep him in the race.
“President Trump deserves to be the governor of this state who does more than take pictures and use his name. But he doesn’t put in the work. This weekend, my opponent said he was going to win without a runoff. Well, of course Mr. Burt was all talk and no results. He’s not going to win in a runoff either,” Jackson said in a post on X.
Jackson tries to outwit MAGA Jones. Is it applicable to the general public?
With Mr. Jackson and Mr. Jones vying for the same support, Mr. Jackson is being forced to find other ways to resonate with the MAGA base that doesn’t rely on Mr. Trump’s vocal support.
In one political ad, which is known to air on television stations across the state, Jackson says that if he were elected governor, illegal immigrants in the state would eventually be “deported or deported.” The ad sparked controversy online over its strong and seemingly black-and-white message about immigration. This was also in response to Jones asking Jackson during the debate whether he had hired illegal immigrants to work on his property in Cumming, Georgia, and when questioned, Jackson responded, “I don’t know.”
Steve Kornacki, NBC’s chief political analyst, told USA TODAY that a message like his could be effective in defeating Jones in the primary, but it would be difficult to carry into the general election in Georgia.
“Obviously (Jackson) is trying to beat a pro-Trump candidate in the Republican primary, but it’s going to be very difficult to do that in 2026, and the Trump support is very strong. Jackson is trying to find a way to be almost MAGA than the pro-Trump candidate. I think that’s certainly how I read that in that primary. I think there’s a pretty big difference between Jackson, Jones and the rest (candidates),” Kornacki said. he said. “It’s an interesting question how that will affect the general election. Is there such a thing as too many MAGAs for Georgia? I certainly think there is.”
The Jackson-Jones Debate — About the Debate
The next step in the primary runoff is to hold another debate between Jones and Jackson, but even that cannot be agreed upon by the candidates.
On May 21, Mr. Jones announced that he had accepted an invitation from the Atlanta Press Club to attend the June 1 debate.
“I can’t wait to see[Rick Jackson]there. I hope he accepts and doesn’t continue to hide it from his record,” Jones wrote in X.
Less than 20 minutes later, Jackson said on social media that he had already accepted another debate.
“We have already accepted to host the June 14th debate in honor of Flag Day and the President’s Birthday on all Gray TV networks in the state. See you there!” Jackson wrote on X.
If the candidates can agree, the June 14 date would be just two days before the runoff and after early voting has already taken place. This means the two candidates will have to rely instead on their ad campaigns and previous messages heading into the runoff. During the June 1 debate, voters will be able to hear the candidates face off before anyone casts their vote.
When is the final election?
Because the period between the primary and runoff elections is so short, early voting for runoff elections is much shorter than normal.
Early voting will begin on June 8th and run through June 12th, according to the state Elections Department.
The primary election date is June 16th, and there will be multiple races on the ballot.
Eileen Wright is an Atlanta Connect reporter for USA Today’s Deep South Connect team, covering midterm races in Georgia. X Find her at @IreneEWright or email her at ismith@usatodayco.com.
