ATLANTA — Lt. Gov. Burt Jones’ campaign said Tuesday night that the Trump-endorsed Republican is advancing to a June 16 runoff in Georgia’s GOP gubernatorial primary after what it called the most expensive governor’s race in state history.
In a sharply worded release, the Jones campaign said billionaire Rick Jackson spent nearly $100 million in the primary and was still trailing Jones. The campaign framed the result as a rejection of Jackson’s spending and political attacks, arguing that Georgia Republican voters were not persuaded by the effort.
Jones’ campaign said it had been outspent nearly 4-to-1 in reported expenditures and by an even wider margin when accounting for outside spending by groups such as Georgians for Integrity. The campaign nevertheless claimed Jones was leading the primary and positioned the runoff as a chance for Republicans to consolidate behind him.
The statement also previewed the tone of the next phase of the race, repeatedly attacking Jackson as out of step with GOP voters and tying him to past support for prominent Republican and Democratic figures opposed by Trump-aligned conservatives.
Jones said in the statement that Georgia voters had sent a message that the state could not be bought and argued Republicans should now focus on winning the runoff before turning to the general election. His campaign also looked ahead to a potential November matchup against Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms.
The June 16 runoff will determine the Republican nominee for governor. The winner will likely face former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms.
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