Trump makes if official and endorses Jackson in race for Georgia governor

Jackson will face former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms to become the state’s next chief executive. Republican Gov. Brian Kemp has served two terms and is barred from seeking reelection.

Trump endorsed Jackson’s opponent, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, during the GOP primary, but he said Wednesday he had also been impressed by Jackson. Late Thursday, he followed up with a string of endorsements for Jackson and other Georgia Republican candidates on his social media website.

“I watched this man run and he’s really phenomenal actually,” Trump said. “Because I liked the other side too. I was a big fan of the other side too. Two good men, frankly, but I watched him run and it was amazing what he was able to do. Very, very successful guy, and he decided he wanted to be governor because he thought he could do some really incredible things for the state, more so than have been done.”

Jones has not yet endorsed in the governor’s race. In an episode of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s “Politically Georgia” podcast, Jones said “We’ll see” when asked whether he would vote for Jackson, adding that he wants to keep Georgia under Republican leadership. His office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.

Jackson, who grew up in the foster care system, has made his triumph over a difficult childhood a centerpiece of his campaign. Standing beside the president, he compared the new Trump savings accounts for children to help he had received as a child. If elected, Jackson said he would urge the state Legislature to match the federal government’s contribution toward the accounts, and if they don’t he pledged to pay for the match out of his own pocket.

Children born between Jan. 1, 2025, and Dec. 31, 2028 are eligible for a $1,000 pilot contribution from the federal government.

“I’m going to make sure that Georgia’s the best place to do business and reduce affordability to the lowest it’s ever been, and I’m going to be this man’s favorite governor,” Jackson said on stage Wednesday, pointing at Trump.

In a statement following the rally, Bottoms appeared to welcome the association between Jackson and Trump. Polling from data analytics firm Civiqs finds Trump’s approval rating 21 points underwater in Georgia, although he remains popular among Republicans.

“There’s a clear choice in this election: Rick Jackson would work for Donald Trump, I will work for Georgians,” Bottoms said. “As Governor, I’ll take action to lower costs, expand Medicaid, and make pre-K accessible for every Georgia family. I will also stand up to anyone — including Donald Trump — if their policies hurt Georgians.”

Trump also gave his support to GOP candidates Sen. Greg Dolezal, who is running for lieutenant governor against Democratic Sen. Josh McLaurin; Sen. Brian Strickland, who is running for attorney general against state Rep. Tanya Miller; and Rep. Tim Fleming, who is running for secretary of state against Judge Penny Brown Reynolds.

Trump called the men “true warriors.”

Kennesaw State University political science professor and former Cobb County GOP chairman Jason Shepherd said Trump’s endorsement helps unify the Republican base, which will need to turn out in high numbers in November if the party wants to win.

“Democrats will try to use it to drive a wedge between the GOP ticket and swing voters, and to fire up their own base by casting these nominees as proxies for a vote against the President,” he said. “But the real effect is at the margins. We’ve seen candidates run on a Trump endorsement and little else and lose spectacularly, and we’ve seen candidates with strong platforms treat it as value-added and win.”

“Democrats are already motivated, they would be in any midterm under a Republican president,” he added. “Whichever side makes the endorsement the centerpiece of its campaign, instead of the issues voters actually care about, is likely to find itself more than a few votes short in November.”

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