Lt. Gov. Burt Jones (R), backed by both President Trump and Gov. Brian Kemp (R), is projected to lose the Republican runoff for Georgia governor to healthcare executive and billionaire Rick Jackson, according to Decision Desk HQ.
Jones’s loss deals a major blow to the president, adding another statewide loss to his primary scorecard.
Jackson will now face Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms (D) in the general election, which the nonpartisan election handicapper Cook Political Report considers a “toss up.”
Jones was long seen as the frontrunner in the GOP race after he received an early endorsement from the president. A long-time ally of the president, Jones previously served as the Georgia co-chair for Trump’s first presidential campaign and signed Electoral College documents falsely claiming Trump beat former President Biden in the 2020 election.