Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms won Georgia’s Democratic primary for governor May 19, positioning Democrats for their latest attempt to win the office for the first time since 1998.
On the Republican side, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and businessman Rick Jackson advanced to a runoff election, which will take place June 16, after neither secured the majority needed to win the nomination outright. Jones garnered roughly 38% of votes, according to NBC News projections, while Jackson received about 33%
Bottoms secured about 56% of the vote in a crowded seven-candidate Democratic primary, avoiding a runoff. NBC News reported that. State Sen. Jason Esteves finished second, with about 18% of the vote.
Bottoms served as mayor of Atlanta from 2018 to 2022 before becoming a senior adviser in the Biden administration. She centered her campaign on expanding health care access, affordable housing, and education, according to FOX 5 Atlanta. Former President Joe Biden endorsed her in May.
The four-week runoff campaign for the Republican nomination pits two candidates who have campaigned on similar priorities, which include cutting income taxes, increasing funding for law enforcement, protecting women’s sports, and expanding school choice.
Jones has leaned heavily on repeated endorsements from President Donald Trump.
“I am the workhorse in this race, and the people should not forget it,” Jones said during a May 19 speech. “I could not leave this stage without thanking Donald J. Trump. He didn’t just endorse me once, not twice, not three times — even a fourth time. I was so honored to have that.”
Jackson, on the other hand, has cast himself as a conservative “outsider” running against the political establishment. He entered the race in February and pledged up to $50 million of his own money to the campaign, CBS News reported. In a May 19 social media post, the businessman criticized Jones as a “political insider who’s been in office for 14 years” and has served for “his own benefit.” Jackson has also emphasized his personal story, describing a childhood marked by poverty and time spent in multiple foster homes.
The race now moves into a closely watched general election that could further define Georgia’s role as one of the nation’s most competitive battleground states.
Republicans have held the governor’s office since 2003, after Sonny Perdue defeated incumbent Democratic Gov. Roy Barnes.
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