In a political move that took most Georgians by surprise, Gov. Brian Kemp, who recently said he wasn’t endorsing anyone for governor in the Tuesday governor’s runoff, reversed himself and yesterday gave his “full endorsement” of Lt. Gov. Burt Jones. You can view the governor’s statement HERE.
Wealthy healthcare CEO Rick Jackson, Jones’s opponent, is obviously stunned— especially since the term-limited Kemp remains popular with Republican voters.
“With the support of both Governor Kemp and President Donald J. Trump, Lt. Governor Jones is the only proven conservative ready to defeat Keisha Lance Bottoms in November and keep Georgia the best place to live, work and raise a family,” the Jones campaign said in a release.
Kemp echoed the statement, saying, “I believe Burt Jones will make a strong case to the voters for four more years of conservative leadership that ensures our state’s best days are ahead, while Democrats try to run from Keisha Lance Bottoms’ record of complete failure as mayor of Atlanta.”
InsiderAdvantage tracking of early voting last week had Jones trailing Jackson, but on Friday it appeared Jones could be picking up some momentum. Jones was especially aided by effective weekend anti-Jackson TV advertising underscoring that his opponent was lying about him.
Also, insiders contacting James Magazine Online speculate that Trump, always the dealmaker, weighed in to cement an agreement with the governor to support his ally Jones. What sort of agreement that might be, though, remains to be seen. What is known is that the governor was irked when Jackson released deceptive advertising that made it look like Kemp was supporting him. And, as some Republicans have noted on social media, a past Jackson donation to Kemp nemesis Democrat Stacey Abrams didn’t set well with the governor.
Political observers see the Kemp endorsement of Jones as a game changer. After all, Jones already tallied over 5 percent ahead of rival Jones in the May 19 primary. Will those Jones voters do it again on Tuesday? There will certainly be lower turnout numbers, especially with many Georgians vacationing. And here’s the big question: Will Kemp’s popularity with GOP voters turn more of them out– especially in metro Atlanta counties—to help Jones cross the finish line?
