Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones has confirmed that he will attend the Saturday Republican rally in Perry, and that the White House had invited him to be with President Donald Trump. Jones says he will be there “to support the president and the Republican Party.” This announcement will, according to state Republican Party Chairman Josh McKoon, further unify the party and motivate more GOP early voting.
“As a longtime Trump ally, sitting lieutenant governor and native of the region with a strong conservative record, Jones’s presence signals that the GOP is moving in the right direction,” McKoon says. “Standing with President Trump and the ticket in Perry— a key I-75 corridor community— energizes the MAGA base and rural voters who are essential for high turnout. It reinforces shared priorities on the economy, security and election integrity while showing the party is locked in and focused on winning on November 3rd.”
Jones and GOP gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson battled it out during the primary season, with Jackson winning the party nomination aided by a massive advertising campaign. Jones has remained fairly low-key since then, although he did tell James Magazine Online months ago he obviously does not want to see Democratic candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms elected governor. Jones also has campaigned with several GOP candidates, most recently at an event for lieutenant governor candidate Greg Dolezal. But insiders say don’t expect Jones to campaign with Jackson. (A footnote: As this is written, there’s speculation that Jackson could attend the Perry rally.)
While the georgiavotes.com website reveals a growing GOP early voting turnout that essentially matches the Democrats, GOP votes in rural areas have indeed been lagging. So the Trump campaign chose Perry as the site of their second rally to motivate, as McKoon notes, more excitement among the base. It cites the first Dalton rally as a success. This is evidenced by the two counties in that area, according to the website, which experienced a surge in GOP votes after that rally.
As for the Democrats, they are having trouble motivating the 18- to 29-year-old group to cast a ballot, and the black early vote is tapering off somewhat from last week. But Democratic voting in populous Fulton and DeKalb Counties have been boosting their ticket.
Wirth regard to polling, the governor’s race is tight with Jackson having a two-point lead over Bottoms according to the recent InsiderAdvantage survey and other polls. As for the U.S. Senate campaign, incumbent Democrat Jon Ossoff has been leading Republican challenger and U.S. Rep. Mike Collins in polls. But that race also appears to be tightening. Hurting Ossoff in recent days is his endorsement of radical, anti-Jewish Michigan Democratic senatorial candidate Abdul el-Sayed.
