In a surprise twist, Brian Kemp endorses Burt Jones for governor
Gov. Brian Kemp endorsed Lt. Gov. Burt Jones late Sunday, ending months of public neutrality in the most expensive GOP race for governor in Georgia history.
Kemp’s backing gives Jones a significant boost in the closing days of his bitter runoff against billionaire Rick Jackson. The term-limited governor had stayed on the sidelines, saying he was focused on helping former football coach Derek Dooley win the Republican U.S. Senate nomination.
But both Jones and Jackson spent months courting his supporters and airing ads tying themselves to the governor’s political brand.
Paired with a coveted endorsement from President Donald Trump last summer, Kemp’s backing gives Jones support from the two most powerful Republicans in Georgia politics from different wings of the party.
“The hardest part about being governor is making decisions that aren’t always popular or easy,” Kemp said on social media. “I’ve worked alongside Burt for nearly 15 years and I’m confident that he will always put hardworking Georgians first.”
It was the second major endorsement on the Sunday ahead of the runoff. Trump backed U.S. Rep. Mike Collins over Dooley early Sunday.
The endorsement carries weight for a reason. Kemp remains one of the most popular figures in Georgia Republican politics.
An Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll in April found 85% of likely Republican voters approve of his job performance, including 55% who strongly approve. He also posted a 42% approval rating with Democrats.
The move adds another jolt to a runoff that has already drawn roughly $160 million in spending and tested Trump’s influence inside the Georgia Republican Party.
Jones appeared headed toward a smooth nomination after securing Trump’s endorsement and support from parts of the GOP establishment. Then Jackson stunned Georgia’s political world by entering the race in February and spending more than $105 million of his own fortune.
Jones has countered with roughly $26 million of his family’s money, helping fuel a bruising fight between the rivals waged in courtrooms, on television, under the Gold Dome and across the campaign trail.
Kemp and Jones have never been especially close, nor were they seen as natural allies, which is why the endorsement baffled many Republicans.
They have long maintained a cordial working relationship, though it was strained by the fallout from Trump’s attempt to overturn his 2020 defeat in Georgia.
That’s when Jones joined Trump in echoing false claims of widespread election fraud in Georgia, while Kemp stood by the results showing Joe Biden’s narrow victory.
Texts obtained by the AJC from four days after the election showed Jones criticizing Kemp for not backing potential election changes ahead of the 2021 runoffs that Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock would win.
“Kemp will not call a special session …. that guy,” wrote Jones, then a state-senator, of the governor.
Their relationship has improved markedly since Jones won Georgia’s No. 2 job. The two have aligned on key proposals, including a 2021 overhaul of election rules, tax cuts, budget initiatives and the litigation overhaul that was Kemp’s top priority last year.
Jones said in an interview he and Kemp were eye-to-eye on “98%” of issues and respect each other on where they differ.
“I wouldn’t throw stones at anything that the governor has done, because you always know where he is on things,” Jones said in an interview. “That’s probably the best thing about his leadership. There’s no guessing, because once he makes a decision, he sticks with it. I’m very similar in that regard.”
Both rivals embrace Trump’s agenda and support many of the same conservative priorities, including tax cuts and culture-war initiatives.
But Jones casts Jackson as a late-arriving MAGA convert trying to buy the governor’s office. Jackson portrays Jones as a career politician whose ties to state government and family business interests make him part of the problem.
Jones celebrated the endorsement, casting it as a sign that Republicans should unite ahead of November.
“It’s time we come together as a party, finish strong on Tuesday and look to November and keep fighting for all the principles, freedoms and values that make Georgia the best state in the nation.”
About the Author
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.
