ATLANTA — Starting Saturday, Georgians who watch television or go online will likely encounter campaign ads from Rick Jackson, the Republican candidate for governor.
The wealthy entrepreneur announced this week that he will spend $87 million on an initial ad buy to promote his campaign against former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, the Democrat.
“This is the largest general election buy of this race, and it reflects exactly how seriously we take the job of earning every vote in every one of Georgia’s 159 counties,” Garrison Douglas, the Jackson campaign spokesman, said in a statement Monday.
Bottoms’ campaign fired back Tuesday, pointing to Jackson’s business dealings with the state, which have earned his company, Jackson Healthcare, more than $1 billion, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported in March.
“Rick Jackson made a billion dollars off of taxpayer-funded contracts with the state for health care services, even while rural hospitals closed and Georgians lost health care coverage, and now he’s trying to buy this election,” Bottoms’ campaign spokesperson, TaNisha Cameron, said in an email.
Candidates spar over Jackson’s campaign stops at minority-owned businesses
Jackson has been campaigning on his business background ever since he announced his candidacy in February, describing himself as a former foster child and self-made billionaire.
Last week, the Jackson campaign attacked Bottoms as anti-business after she posted an Instagram video responding to “online chatter” about Jackson’s visit to a Black-owned business.
Bottoms had alleged that Jackson was visiting barbershops, restaurants and other minority-owned businesses merely to promote his campaign. In her brief video posted in mid-July, she called that hypocritical because she said he opposed diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
“I’m assuming anybody who opens their doors to Rick Jackson has made a calculated decision based on the benefits and the risk of doing that,” Bottoms said. “But don’t allow people to piss on us and then tell us that it’s raining.”
The Jackson campaign said people online had been calling for a boycott of a Black-owned brunch spot Jackson had visited. The campaign accused Bottoms of effectively warning businesses not to admit Jackson and said she should have defended the restaurant.
Jackson pressed the issue while on stage with President Donald Trump last week, during the president’s visit to Wheeler High School in Cobb County.
“My opponent wants to cut down businesses and cancel them just because I visited a restaurant,” Jackson said. “Well, that’s just wrong.”
Trump endorses Jackson in Georgia governor’s race
Jackson said he would focus on business to address the cost-of-living issues that are top of mind for many voters.
“I’m going to bring business solutions to solve real problems,” Jackson said. “The other side talks about affordability as if that’s a solution. Affordability’s not a political problem. Affordability is a business problem. It requires business solutions.”
Jackson also said he was going to be Trump’s “favorite governor,” and Trump responded that Jackson would be a “great” governor.
Bottoms said in her video that she supports small businesses, having helped minority- and women-owned companies secure grants and low-interest loans. She said she normally gives them her own personal business.
“Jackson’s in this for himself and to serve Donald Trump, and Keisha’s the only candidate in this race who will stand up for Georgians,” her spokesperson, Cameron, said.
Democrats predict that the president’s endorsement of Jackson, whom they call an “out-of-touch billionaire,” would ultimately hurt Jackson’s campaign.
A national poll earlier this month found that Republicans had become less positive about the economy since January.
“The share of Republicans who say Trump’s policies have worsened conditions has risen from 18% to 28%, while the share saying they have improved conditions has fallen from 57% to 42%,” said the the Pew Research Center report, which was focused on the national mood and on Congress rather than specifically on Georgia.
Jackson’s campaign said Georgians simply need to hear from the man himself and that the advertising blitz will help.
“Rick Jackson has spent this campaign showing up in places candidates usually skip,” Douglas said, “and this buy makes sure all 11 million Georgians hear the same thing the people in those rooms have heard, which is that he is running to fight for them.”
This story was provided by WABE media partner Capitol Beat.
