Rick Jackson, Mike Collins win Georgia GOP runoffs, advance to November

Rick Jackson and U.S. Rep. Mike Collins won their respective runoff elections Tuesday to make it to the general election in November.

Jackson, a billionaire healthcare executive, won the Republican runoff for Georgia governor defeating Lt. Gov. Burt Jones.

Jackson entered the race in February and pledged up to $50 million of his own money to the campaign. He spent more than any other candidate in the race. 

Jackson received some high profile endorsements, including from Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr after he lost the May primary and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. Jones received endorsements from President Donald Trump and a last-minute endorsement from Gov. Brian Kemp.

In his victory speech, Jackson said as governor, he would focus on key issues concerning Georgians.

“As governor, I will treat affordability like a crisis because for too many families, it already is one. We’ll make housing easier to build. We’ll cut unnecessary regulations that drive up prices. We’ll support small businesses and local employers, and we will make sure Georgia remains a place where a young family can buy a home,” he said.

Jackson will be facing Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms, who was the former mayor of Atlanta, in the general election in November.

“Violence surged. Families were afraid. Businesses worried, and police officers needed support. Keisha Lance Bottoms turned her back on all of them. Keisha Lance Bottoms failed,” he said.

Collins defeated Derek Dooley in Tuesday’s Republican runoff election for U.S. Senate. Collins received a last-minute endorsement from Trump leading up to the election while Dooley, former football coach at the University of Tennessee, was backed by Kemp throughout the race.

Collins has represented Georgia’s 10th Congressional District since 2023, and GPB News reports that he spoke to supporters at a barn in Jackson after his victory was announced.

“My plan as your next U.S. Senator [is] simple. I’m just going to use my business experience out there to build on the record of results I’ve already delivered in Washington,” he said.

Collins will face U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff in the November election.