Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has endorsed Lt. Gov. Burt Jones in the state's GOP gubernatorial runoff, aligning the popular outgoing governor with President Donald Trump on their preferred candidate to succeed him.
Kemp's public endorsement Sunday night comes just days before Tuesday's election and marks his clearest effort yet to shape the race after months of staying on the sidelines of one of Georgia's highest-profile political contests. The move represents a new point of agreement between Kemp and Trump, who hours earlier had sided against the governor's handpicked candidate in the Georgia Senate runoff.
What the Left Is Saying
Democratic nominee Keisha Lance Bottoms, who clinched a resounding victory in the May Democratic primary despite questions over her rocky tenure as Atlanta's mayor, stands to benefit from Republican infighting. The Kemp endorsement has intensified scrutiny of both Jones and Jackson, with Democrats arguing that the internal GOP divide signals deeper divisions within the party ahead of the general election. Bottoms' campaign has pointed to the contentious GOP primary as evidence of instability in the Republican ticket.
What the Right Is Saying
Kemp praised Jones in a post on X as someone who "has been a strong, trusted ally" in legislative victories for Georgia. "Burt knows how to get things done as governor because that's what he has done as a state senator and as your Lt. Governor," Kemp wrote. Trump also voiced support for Jones, with his backing adding to the candidate's credibility among conservative voters. Republican strategists argue that Kemp's late intervention could consolidate establishment GOP support behind Jones ahead of Tuesday's vote.
What the Numbers Show
The race features dramatically different polling results depending on the source. A recent Cygnal Political analysis showed Jackson with a 12-point lead, while a CivicLens Research survey found Jones ahead by roughly 10 points. In the initial primary last month, Jones finished first with 38 percent of the vote, while Jackson earned 32 percent. Jackson has spent $100 million of his own money on the race, making it among the most expensive gubernatorial primaries on record. An ad implying Jackson had Kemp's endorsement reportedly "didn't help Rick" according to one person familiar with the governor's thinking.
The Bottom Line
Kemp's late-stage endorsement marks a significant escalation in the GOP gubernatorial race and represents a rare alignment between the sitting governor and Trump. With both candidates claiming different polling advantages and $100 million in personal spending by Jackson, Tuesday's runoff appears poised to be decided by narrow margins. Republican observers will watch closely to gauge whether Trump's influence or Kemp's last-minute backing proves more decisive with primary voters.