MAGA Billionaire’s Surprise Campaign Launch Upends Georgia’s Already Messy GOP Gov Primary

MAGA Billionaire’s Surprise Campaign Launch Upends Georgia’s Already Messy GOP Gov Primary

Republicans and dark money groups have already committed to spending nearly $64 million in the primary

The shock campaign announcement of MAGA billionaire Rick Jackson today has “upended” Georgia’s GOP gubernatorial primary – and is set to make what has been an ugly and expensive race to the right even more chaotic.

This morning, Rick Jackson made a surprise entrance into the GOP gubernatorial primary in a video that touted his donations to Trump and attacked the GOP field as “career politicians.” Even more eye-popping was Jackson’s pledge to spend $50 million on his campaign. His campaign has already booked $1.2 million in TV ads for the next week alone.

Even before today, Georgia’s Republican gubernatorial primary was a MAGA mess. A mysterious dark money group has already spent nearly $14 million attacking Trump-endorsed Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones over his record of self-enrichment in office. Jones has responded by doubling down on his MAGA record – posting videos with Donald Trump, attacking his opponents as insufficiently supportive of the president, and praising Trump’s FBI raid on the Fulton County elections center. And while Jones might have the president’s endorsement, Chris Carr and Brad Raffensperger have both backed Trump’s budget law which guts health care and raises costs, along with the administration’s chaotic tariffs.

No matter who wins the GOP nomination – they’ll be badly damaged by the primary.

“Republicans are about to light at least $64 million on fire tearing each other apart and competing to be the most MAGA,” said DGA spokesperson Kevin Donohoe. “This race is already a very expensive race to the right – with the eventual nominee paying the price for an extreme and nasty primary.”

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