Georgia governor race: billionaire Rick Jackson beats Trump-endorsed Burt Jones

Billionaire businessman Rick Jackson has won the Republican primary runoff in Georgia’s governor race, defeating President Donald Trump’s endorsed candidate, Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones.

With more than 80 percent of votes counted, Jackson secured 53 percent of the vote compared with Jones’ 47 percent, setting up a November showdown with Democratic nominee Keisha Lance Bottoms in one of the United States' key battleground states.

Jackson, a healthcare executive and political newcomer, spent more than $100 million of his own money on the campaign.

The race was widely viewed as a contest for support among Republican and MAGA voters.

While Jones leaned heavily on Trump’s backing, Jackson positioned himself as a political outsider and frequently drew comparisons between himself and the US president.

In one campaign advertisement, Jackson described himself as “the straight-talking, Trump-supporting self-made outsider.”

“Like President Trump, I don’t owe anybody anything, and like you, I’m sick of career politicians,” he said in another advert.

Republican Senator Ted Cruz campaigned with Jackson ahead of the runoff, saying: “An outsider, a businessman. I don’t know anyone in politics like that.”