Published by TrenBuzz.com | June 17, 2026 | BREAKING ELECTION NIGHT
Key Points at a Glance – Rick Jackson Defeated Trump-Backed Burt Jones
- Billionaire Rick Jackson defeated Trump-backed Lt. Gov. Burt Jones in Georgia’s GOP governor runoff on June 16, 2026.
- Jackson self-funded over $100 million in his own campaign, far outspending every other candidate in Georgia history.
- Trump endorsed Jones nearly a year before the runoff and repeatedly reaffirmed his support until the final day.
- Gov. Brian Kemp broke his neutrality pledge and endorsed Jones just 48 hours before the runoff, and still lost.
- Jackson will now face Democratic nominee Keisha Lance Bottoms in November in a race Cook Political Report calls a “toss up.”
- Bottoms immediately attacked Jackson over a no-bid state contract worth over $1 billion for his healthcare company.
The president picked Burt Jones. Georgia voters picked someone else. And the price of overcoming a Trump endorsement was just confirmed to be somewhere north of $100 million.
Health care executive Rick Jackson defeated Trump-backed Lt. Gov. Burt Jones in Georgia’s GOP gubernatorial primary Tuesday, with the help of over $100 million of his personal wealth. Jones’ loss is a major upset for the president in a marquee battleground state.
How Jackson Won Without Trump’s Blessing
He promised to be Trump’s “favorite governor,” embraced the president’s agenda and convinced enough MAGA voters that he represented the movement’s future despite Jones’ formal endorsement. What followed was a bruising contest fought on TV screens, in courtrooms, at the Capitol and across the campaign trail, all waged by a candidate with seemingly bottomless resources whose $3 billion net worth was so large it did not fit on disclosure forms.
Kemp’s Last-Minute Gamble That Backfired
Trump endorsed Jones nearly a year ago and repeatedly reaffirmed his support. And Kemp shed his vow of neutrality to back the lieutenant governor just two days before the runoff. Jackson’s win is a setback for both. But it lands especially hard on Kemp, who put his popularity on the line just days before the runoff, only to watch voters reject his pick for a successor.
The November Matchup and the Historic Stakes
Jackson will now face Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms in the general election, which the nonpartisan election handicapper Cook Political Report considers a toss up. Bottoms is poised to become the first Black woman ever elected governor of Georgia, and potentially in the American South. Bottoms took aim at Jackson immediately: “Rick Jackson has made more than a billion dollars off of a no-bid state contract for his health care company, but he opposes Medicaid expansion to lower the cost of health care.”
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Disclaimer: This article is for general informational and news reporting purposes only. All election results are unofficial as of June 16, 2026, sourced from Fox News, The Hill, AJC, Yahoo News, and NBC News. TrenBuzz.com does not endorse any political candidate or party. Readers are encouraged to follow the official Georgia Secretary of State for certified results.