Rick Jackson drops lawsuits against Burt Jones as he seeks rival’s endorsement

Republican Rick Jackson has quietly dropped two campaign lawsuits filed against Lt. Gov. Burt Jones during their bitter primary fight; Jackson now seeks his former rival’s endorsement for governor.

On Friday, Jackson, who defeated Jones to become the Republican nominee, dropped a lawsuit challenging Jones’ use of a campaign fundraising tool that critics say gives some Georgia politicians an unfair advantage over others. Earlier this month, Jackson also dropped a defamation lawsuit that accused Jones of making “knowingly false” statements against him.

The moves come as Jackson seeks to mend a rift with Jones and unite Republicans amid a close race for governor against Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms. Although Jones has cited the defamation lawsuit as an obstacle to reconciliation, it’s not clear he’s prepared to endorse Jackson yet. A libel lawsuit filed by Jones’ family business against Jackson is still pending.

“Rick is not looking backwards,” Jackson campaign spokesperson Garrison Douglas said when asked about the lawsuits. “He is focused on making sure we defeat Keisha Lance Bottoms and deliver an agenda that creates opportunity for all 11 million Georgians no matter their ZIP code.”

A Jones spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The flurry of litigation unleashed during the Republican primary underscored the bitterness of the Republican campaign to replace Gov. Brian Kemp. Jones initially appeared to be in command of the race against two other Republican rivals, Attorney General Chris Carr and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.

But Jackson upended the race when he announced his candidacy in February. The billionaire healthcare executive spent $108 million of his own money to promote his candidacy and ultimately defeated Jones in a June runoff.

Jackson fought Jones in court as well as on the campaign trail. In February he targeted Jones’ chief fundraising tool, filing a federal lawsuit that said Jones’ WBJ Leadership Committee gave him an illegal advantage.

Leadership committees allow a few of Georgia’s top elected officials to raise unlimited campaign cash, while contributions to other candidates are subject to limits. In previous lawsuits, judges have held that disparity likely makes Georgia’s leadership committee law unconstitutional.

But judges never reached a final decision in those cases because the plaintiffs dropped their lawsuits. Jackson’s decision to drop his own lawsuit means a fundraising tool of dubious legality will continue to play a big role in Georgia politics for now, although two other leadership committee lawsuits are pending.

Since filing the lawsuit, Jackson has formed his own leadership committee. Records show it has raised about $12 million, compared with $3.4 million for Bottoms’ leadership committee.

In March, Jackson filed a defamation lawsuit against Jones in Fulton County Superior Court. It accused Jones of spreading “hot button deliberate, desperate and blatant lies about Rick Jackson.” Records show Jackson dropped the lawsuit Sept. 11.

In June, Jones’ family business, Jones Petroleum, filed its own $100 million lawsuit against Jackson, accusing him of publishing “blatantly false and defamatory statements about this company and its 2,500 employees.”