President Donald Trump threw his support behind Republican gubernatorial nominee Rick Jackson at a rally inside Wheeler High School's gymnasium in East Cobb on Thursday, July 23, setting up a general election fight with Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms that will run through this county.
Trump invited Jackson onto the stage, calling the Alpharetta healthcare executive "a true champion for the people," according to the Georgia Recorder. The endorsement is notable because Trump backed Jackson's primary opponent, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, before Jackson defeated Jones in a Republican runoff on June 16.
Some supporters had waited in line since 2 a.m. Roughly 3,000 people filled the gymnasium, which was decorated in red, white and blue with a large sign reading "Powering the American Dream," according to the Marietta Daily Journal.
Jackson's pledge on Trump Accounts
Standing beside the president, Jackson pledged that if elected he would push the Georgia Legislature to match the federal government's $1,000 contribution to Trump Accounts, a savings program for children born between January 1, 2025, and December 31, 2028. If lawmakers decline, Jackson said he would fund the match out of his own pocket.
Jackson, the founder and CEO of Jackson Healthcare, a staffing firm based in Alpharetta with more than $3 billion in annual revenue, grew up in poverty in Atlanta and spent time in five foster homes as a teenager. He compared the Trump Accounts to help he received as a child, then pledged to make Georgia the best state for business and to lower costs for families, according to the Georgia Recorder.
What it means for November
The Cook Political Report rates the governor's race a toss-up. A State Navigate poll of 448 likely Georgia voters conducted July 10–13 showed Bottoms leading Jackson 51% to 44%, within the survey's 4.6-point margin of error. The general election is Tuesday, November 3. Republicans have won every Georgia gubernatorial election since 2002; Gov. Brian Kemp is term-limited.
Cobb County, once a Republican stronghold that propelled Newt Gingrich and Bob Barr to Congress, has backed Democratic presidential candidates since 2016. Democrats hold all countywide partisan offices except the Board of Education, where Republicans maintain a 4-3 majority, according to Axios Atlanta.
Jason Shepherd, a Kennesaw State University political science professor and former Cobb County GOP chairman, told the Georgia Recorder that the endorsement helps unify the Republican base but carries risks. "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," Shepherd said.
Bottoms' campaign framed the endorsement as a liability. In a statement released after the rally, the former Atlanta mayor said Jackson would "work for Donald Trump" while she would "work for Georgians." Civiqs polling shows Trump's net approval in Georgia at negative 21 points among registered voters.
Late Friday, July 24, Trump followed up with formal social media endorsements of Jackson and three other Georgia Republicans: Sen. Greg Dolezal for lieutenant governor, Sen. Brian Strickland for attorney general, and Rep. Tim Fleming for secretary of state.
Jones has not endorsed Jackson. On the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's "Politically Georgia" podcast, Jones said "We'll see" when asked whether he would vote for the nominee. His office did not respond to the Georgia Recorder's request for comment as of Friday.
