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Cobb County, GA ballot

Rick Jackson

Republican

Governor · Cobb County, Georgia · November 3, 2026

Also on the ballot: Keisha Lance Bottoms (Democrat)

Rick Jackson is the founder and CEO of Jackson Healthcare who won the 2026 Republican gubernatorial nomination after a runoff against Trump-endorsed Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, largely self-funding his campaign. Trump later endorsed Jackson at a Cobb County rally; Jackson campaigns on tax cuts, school choice, support for Georgia's abortion ban, and tougher crime enforcement.

What this office decides

The Governor proposes the state budget, signs or vetoes legislation passed by the General Assembly, and appoints agency heads and judicial vacancies. The office directs state agencies covering health, education, public safety, and economic development, and commands the state National Guard. Decisions affect state taxes, Medicaid policy, and criminal justice across Georgia.

How this race lines up with you

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Dossier

Researched 2026-09-22 · Claude Code research agent with web search

Donald Trump: endorsed. Trump initially endorsed Jackson's primary opponent Burt Jones, but after Jackson won the runoff, Trump endorsed Jackson at a July 22, 2026 rally in Cobb County, calling him "a true champion for the people." source

  • Donald Trump (for) source
  • 104 Georgia sheriffs (for) source
  • LIBRE State PAC (for) source
  • Republican Governors Association (for) source

Who they are

Rick Jackson is founder/CEO of Jackson Healthcare, a first-time candidate raised partly in foster care (Wikipedia). He won the 2026 GOP runoff over Trump-endorsed Lt. Gov. Burt Jones (WABE).

Positions

  • Taxes & spending: Would halve the state income tax over his first term, freeze property taxes, and end the tax on tips (Dome Politics).
  • Health care: Backs a Medicaid work-requirement waiver instead of full expansion, plus insurer price transparency (Dome Politics); Democratic opposition research calls this opposing expansion outright (GA Dem. Party).
  • Schools: Backs school-choice scholarship tax credits, higher teacher pay, and tuition freezes (Dome Politics).
  • Personal freedom: Supports Georgia's six-week abortion ban unchanged: "I'm entirely pro-life...I wouldn't change a thing" (CBS Atlanta); leaked audio per HuffPost suggests he discussed tightening the rape exception, disputed by his campaign (HuffPost).
  • Crime & policing: Backs law enforcement, ending "revolving-door justice," and aiding federal immigration enforcement (AJC).
  • Business & regulation: No general deregulation platform found; his healthcare plan requires insurer price disclosure (Dome Politics).

Record

Never held office; leads Jackson Healthcare (~$3B revenue), which got nearly $1B in Georgia contracts since FY2020 (Healthbeat). Sued Lt. Gov. Jones and the ethics commission, Feb. 2026, over campaign-finance law (CBS Atlanta).

Money

Self-funded $108-118M+; raised $6.1M more June-July 2026, ending July with $4.3M cash on hand, plus $10M from the RGA (Rough Draft Atlanta; AJC); tracked via ethics.ga.gov.

Recent news

  • 2026-07-22: Trump endorsed Jackson at a Cobb County rally, having backed Jones in the primary (Axios).
  • 2026-09-09: Released a five-point plan; same month, endorsed by 104 Georgia sheriffs and LIBRE state PAC (Dome Politics; CBS Atlanta; Hoodline).

What we couldn't find

  • Ballotpedia's page would not load (corroborated via Wikipedia/news); no deregulation statement; no fundraising data after July 31.
Sources (15)