Gov. Brian Kemp stood beside Burt Jones on Monday in the final push before Georgia's Republican runoff for governor, the race that will decide whether Jones or Rick Jackson becomes the party’s nominee. The runoff is Tuesday, with polls open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and voters already in line by 7 p.m. will still be allowed to cast ballots.
The appearance gave Jones a late boost from the state’s top Republican, who endorsed him and said he believes Jones understands how to govern and can be ready on day one. Jones thanked Kemp and said he has learned from the governor during their years working in state government. For Jackson, the timing is the point: the campaign now enters its last full day with the governor and President Donald Trump both backing the same opponent.
That split matters because the winner will face Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms in November, turning Tuesday’s runoff into more than a party contest. Kemp said he chose Jones because of his view of how Jones would handle the job, while Trump has also endorsed Jones and said Mike Collins is best positioned to take on Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff in November in a separate race. The overlapping endorsements underline how much of Georgia's primary runoff elections are being shaped by competing power centers rather than by one party line.
Bottoms has tried to turn that dynamic against both men. She said Burt Jones and Rick Jackson are running to enrich themselves as they refuse to fight for Georgians facing rising costs and threats to their health care. That attack leaves Jones and Jackson fighting on two fronts at once: each other for the nomination, and a public argument over whether the runoff is about governing or self-interest.
Kemp also spent Monday with former college football coach Derek Dooley in Chamblee, where Dooley said his focus remains on earning support from Georgia voters, regardless of outside endorsements. Kemp has described Dooley as a political outsider and argued that background could help Republicans in the general election. That makes Tuesday's runoff part of a larger test for the governor's influence, but the immediate answer belongs to the voters in line tomorrow. If Jones wins, Kemp's choice holds. If Jackson wins, the governor's late push will have missed the mark.
