Rick Jackson’s campaign for governor resets fight for MAGA base in Georgia
Today’s newsletter highlights:
- Budget proposal would test armed drones in some schools.
- Ed Setzler declines to run to replace Barry Loudermilk.
- Indivisible endorses Jasmine Clark’s bid to oust David Scott.
Ripple effects
A post–Rick Jackson order is beginning to emerge in Georgia’s Republican race for governor, with the billionaire health care executive now going toe-to-toe with Lt. Gov. Burt Jones for the MAGA base.
That leaves Attorney General Chris Carr and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger quietly rooting for a MAGA civil war — and sharpening their own lanes catering to more mainstream Republicans.
The dynamic is already showing up in the numbers. A Cygnal poll released this morning — the first since Jackson’s surprise entry — found Jones leading the GOP field with 22% support among likely primary voters.
Jackson was close behind at 16%, followed by Raffensperger at 10% and Carr at 7%. The poll of 600 voters has a margin of error of 4 percentage points.
It’s a strong opening for Jackson, who remains far from a household name. It’s also an early sign that roughly $14 million in sustained attack ads from a mysterious outside group are taking a toll. The same poll shows Jones’ favorable ratings slipped after months of negative messaging.
It already feels like a new race. Jackson has poured at least $4 million into ads, including smaller buys in Florida and Washington aimed at wooing Trump. And in a sign of fast organization, GOP-leaning voters in Atlanta were getting mailers from the Jackson campaign by Saturday.
But Jones is punching back. On Friday, he filed an ethics complaint against Jackson. And this morning, he launched a seven-figure TV ad blitz that reminds voters he won Trump’s blessing last year.
Meanwhile, Jackson is rapidly building out infrastructure. One of his first major hires is veteran strategist Brian Robinson, a longtime Carr adviser who informed the attorney general on Friday he was switching camps. The move sent shockwaves through GOP circles and helped fuel unfounded rumors that Carr was exiting the race.
The ripple effects are showing up in messaging as well. Raffensperger rolled out a school safety proposal this week (more on that below), adding another policy plank as he courts voters uneasy with MAGA politics.
But the contrast between the two factions was especially clear after Trump’s racist video clip portraying former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as apes.
Carr was among the first Georgia Republicans to condemn it, echoing comments from U.S. Sen. Tim Scott calling it “the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House.” It’s a signal that he plans to further distance himself from Trump-style politics.
Jones’ response was just as telling. He brushed it off as an “obvious editing error” and mocked it as a “fake scandal,” putting on display how carefully he’s guarding his MAGA flank. Jackson, meanwhile, didn’t comment.
Now, Jackson’s allies are urging Trump to reconsider his endorsement of Jones, or at least back off his public support. It seems like the fight for Trump’s allegiance is only heating up.
Things to know
Good morning! Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper will endorse state Rep. Houston Gaines’ bid for Georgia’s 10th Congressional District this morning. Harper, who is also backing state Rep. Tim Fleming for secretary of state and Jim Kingston in the 1st Congressional District, is one of the only statewide officials to endorse candidates for the GOP primaries in May.
Here are three other things to know for today:
- City of Social Circle officials say U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has purchased an industrial warehouse and plans to turn it into a sprawling detention center for as many as 10,000 immigrants, the AJC’s Lautaro Grinspan reports.
- A federal judge has ordered documents related to the FBI’s seizure of Fulton County ballots be unsealed by Tuesday, the AJC’s Caleb Groves reports.
- Lt. Gov. Burt Jones’ plan to phase out Georgia’s personal income tax would eliminate more than $1 billion of tax breaks for things like data centers, insurance companies and medical equipment, the AJC’s David Wickert reports.
Send in the drones?
Armed drones in Georgia schools? It could happen under a budget proposal in the state Legislature.
The House’s version of the amended 2026 budget includes $550,000 for a pilot program that would place three drones each at four schools. These drones wouldn’t have bullets, but they could deploy flash bangs, strobe lights and pepper balls.
“This is going to put you on your hind end,” said Republican state Rep. Matt Dubnik, chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on education. “It’s meant to render you incapable, disoriented, distracted until the cavalry arrives.”
The drones come from Campus Guardian Angel, a company cofounded by Bill King, a former Navy SEAL. Dubnik said the company would demonstrate the technology next week at Liberty Plaza, across the street from the state Capitol.
The drone program would build upon a law the Legislature passed last year after a teenager was accused of shooting and killing four people at Apalachee High School in Barrow County. That law requires schools to produce detailed 3-D maps of their buildings to give police an advantage when confronting a shooter — maps that would aide drone pilots in an emergency. Dubnik said the drones could respond to an incident in as little as 15 seconds.
Public safety
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger this morning unveiled a sweeping school safety and law enforcement proposal as he works to define his lane in the Republican primary for governor.
The plan calls for expanding school safety grants to provide up to $100,000 per campus for items such as school resource officers, perimeter security and emergency response upgrades — and for extending those grants to private and charter schools.
Raffensperger also proposed creating a “Georgia Guardians” program that would train and deploy veterans and retired law enforcement officers to help protect schools.
More broadly, he wants to boost pay and benefits for law enforcement officers and create matching grants and state-local partnerships to improve recruiting.
Campaign watch
Count Republican state Sen. Ed Setzler out of the 2026 race to succeed retiring U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk. Setzler told us Sunday that while Washington needs to be “profoundly reformed,” a bid for Congress is not his path forward.
That takes a big name off the board for the GOP-leaning seat, which stretches from Atlanta’s northern edges to rural northwest Georgia.
Much of the focus is now on Brandon Beach, a former state senator who is now the U.S. Treasurer. Should Beach enter the race, allies say he could secure President Donald Trump’s blessing and emerge as an early favorite.
If he decides not to run, we’re closely watching to see whether Woodstock Mayor Michael Caldwell, a former state legislator with deep grassroots support, enters the race.
Dr. John Cowan isn’t waiting to see how the field shakes out. The Rome physician, who lost to former U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene in a 2020 runoff, entered the race this morning, pitching himself as a steady alternative with longstanding ties to the district where he grew up.
“I’m running for Congress because I believe our country works best when serious people step up to solve serious problems,” Cowan said. “I’m not running to be loud or to chase headlines. I’m running to put people ahead of politics and do what’s right for hardworking Georgians, representing the 11th District with integrity and common sense.”
Under the Gold Dome
It’s Day 15 of the legislative session. Some happenings:
- 10 a.m.: House and Senate convene.
- 10 a.m.: House Judiciary Committee meets to discuss House Bill 1187, which would prohibit the use of nondisclosure agreements in civil settlements related to child sexual abuse.
- 1 p.m.: House Education Subcommittee on Curriculum and Academic Achievement meets to consider House Bill 1193, which would put literacy coaches in every Georgia elementary school.
- 4 p.m.: A Senate Judiciary Subcommittee will meet to discuss Senate Bill 413, which would allow for the termination of a rental or lease agreement if the tenant experienced firearm violence. They’ll also consider Senate Bill 443, which would increase the punishment for people convicted of obstructing highways, streets, sidewalks or other public passages.
Endorsement watch
One of the nation’s largest progressive organizations endorsed state Rep. Jasmine Clark’s bid to unseat veteran U.S. Rep. David Scott this morning.
Indivisible cited Clark’s record on voting rights, abortion access and public health in announcing its support for the Democratic state legislator. The organization called Scott an “ineffective incumbent who didn’t even bother to vote in the 2024 presidential election.”
“The contrast between him and Dr. Jasmine Clark could not be clearer. Dr. Jasmine Clark has proven she’s built for this fight,” said Ezra Levin, the group’s co-executive director.
Clark is one of several prominent Democrats seeking to oust Scott amid mounting questions about the 80-year-old’s health and effectiveness on Capitol Hill.
Listen up
Today on the “Politically Georgia” podcast state Sen. Greg Dolezal, R-Cumming, and Public Service Commissioner Peter Hubbard discuss the growing backlash against data centers under the Gold Dome.
You can listen and subscribe to Politically Georgia for free an Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Have a question or comment for the show? Email us at politicallygeorgia@ajc.com or give us a call at 770-810-5297 and you could be featured on a future episode.
Today in Washington
- President Donald Trump has meetings at the White House.
- The House has evening votes scheduled.
- The Senate has votes scheduled on Trump nominations.
Super Bowl ad watch
Health care executive Rick Jackson shelled out the money to run ads in Atlanta and other broadcast markets during Sunday night’s Super Bowl broadcast. The spots are part of a nearly $5 million ad buy the campaign reserved in the days after his unexpected entry into the governor’s race.
Meanwhile, voters in Georgia’s 14th Congressional District may have spotted ads promoting the campaign of former Paulding County Commissioner Brian Stover. Stover is among the 21 candidates in the special election to decide who will replace former U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who stepped down in January.
The spot, entitled "Take Out the Trash‚" highlights Stover’s business experience as the owner of a waste management company. But mostly it’s intended to identify him as a political ally of President Donald Trump. Last week, Trump endorsed Clay Fuller, a former district attorney, in the special election.
Shoutouts
Today’s birthday:
- State Rep. Trey Rhodes, R-Greensboro.
Belated birthday
- Austin Myhre, legislative correspondent for U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock (was Saturday).
Want a birthday shoutout in the Politically Georgia newsletter? There’s a form for that. Click here to submit the shoutouts. It’s not just birthdays. We’re also interested in new jobs, engagements, birth announcements, etc.
Before you go
Benita Harris, a 34-year veteran of the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, spoke with the AJC about the Trump administration’s decision to disband the Office of Minority Health and Health Equity that forced her into an early retirement.
That’ll do it for us today. As always, you can send your best scoops, gossip and insider info to greg.bluestein@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com, patricia.murphy@ajc.com and adam.beam@ajc.com.
About the Authors
Greg Bluestein is the Atlanta Journal Constitution's chief political reporter. He is also an author, TV analyst and co-host of the Politically Georgia podcast.
Tia Mitchell is the AJC’s Washington Bureau Chief and a co-host of the "Politically Georgia" podcast. She writes about Georgia’s congressional delegation, campaigns, elections and the impact that decisions made in D.C. have on residents of the Peach State.
Patricia Murphy is the AJC's senior political columnist. She was previously a nationally syndicated columnist for CQ Roll Call, national political reporter for the Daily Beast and Politics Daily, and wrote for The Washington Post and Garden & Gun. She graduated from Vanderbilt and holds a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University.
More Stories
The Latest
