8 takeaways from Rick Jackson’s surprise entry into Georgia governor’s race

A “political earthquake.”

A “stunning surprise.”

A “gubernatorial game changer.”

Those were just a few of the reactions to the campaign launch Tuesday of Rick Jackson, the self-made billionaire health care entrepreneur who entered the race for governor as a Republican with a pledge to spend at least $50 million of his own money.

He has already reserved more than $1 million in airtime, with plans to begin with a minute-long introductory ad this morning that outlines his core promises: aggressively deport immigrants living in the country illegally, cut Georgia’s income tax in half and freeze property taxes.

“Like President Trump, I don’t owe anybody anything,” he says in the ad. “And like you, I’m sick of career politicians.”

Jackson will deliver his first speech of the campaign later today at an event in Alpharetta.

Here are a few takeaways:

1. A secret this big is almost impossible to keep in Georgia politics. Even some longtime Jackson allies didn’t learn of his plans until after the AJC story posted.

2. Jackson is the rare true outsider in this field. Every other major contender, on both sides of the aisle, holds or has held public office.

3. Jackson’s not just putting his money into ads. His campaign team includes Lance Trover, who worked for Doug Burgum’s 2024 presidential bid, and Austin Chambers, a longtime GOP operative.

4. Burt Jones’ cash advantage suddenly looks less daunting. The lieutenant governor has a massive war chest and hasn’t had to spend much of it. Jackson’s entry could force him to go on offense.

5. The ad war mystery isn’t going away. Jackson’s campaign denies any connection to the nearly $14 million blitz from Georgians for Integrity targeting Jones. But many top Republicans are already pointing fingers his way.

6. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Attorney General Chris Carr still see a path, especially if Jones and Jackson split the MAGA base. But they risk becoming also-rans if the two big spenders dominate the spotlight.

7. Georgia politics makes strange bedfellows. Jackson helped bankroll Geoff Duncan’s 2018 GOP bid for lieutenant governor. Duncan is now running as a Democrat for governor.

8. Endorsements are already rolling in. Jackson’s early backers include state Rep. Brent Cox, R-Dawsonville, and former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

Things to know

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Good morning! It’s budget day at the Georgia Capitol. House lawmakers are scheduled to reveal their version of the state’s amended 2026 operating budget beginning at 7 a.m.

Here are three other things to know for today:

AI images

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

State Sen. Bo Hatchett is trying to outlaw the use of artificial intelligence to undress people without their permission. But his first attempt might have gone too far.

Senate Bill 398 as written would also ban people from “taking a photo of a friend and giving them bunny ears,” said Sarah Brewerton Palmer, an attorney who is president of the Georgia First Amendment Foundation board of directors.

That’s not what Hatchett, a Republican from Cornelia, was trying to do. His aim was to stop people from using AI to post pictures of scantily clad (or nude) people without their consent — a problem that has proliferated on X recently.

In a legislative hearing this week, Hatchett vowed to amend the bill to make its focus more narrow.

“I’m going to remove the provisions that have to deal with just general use of the AI images and we’ll focus more on the sexually explicit,” he said. “That’s really the core policy that I want.”

Fulton County update

Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC

Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC

Democrats are trying everything to figure out why the FBI seized Fulton County’s 2020 election ballots. Their latest strategy? Invoking national security law.

Federal law requires the president to keep congressional intelligence committees “fully and currently informed” about intelligence activities. It’s why many lawmakers were puzzled when photos from the Fulton County raid showed Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard on site.

If she is part of this investigation, there could be an intelligence aspect of the case that would require her to brief Congress. On Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock and U.S. Reps. Lucy McBath and Nikema Williams — all from Georgia —cited this when they wrote a letter asking Attorney General Pam Bondi to brief them about the raid.

Gabbard, for her part, said no briefing was required. In a letter to U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, the top ranking Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, Gabbard said the National Security Act of 1947 does not require the president to get congressional approval before launching “a significant intelligence activity.”

What’s more, Gabbard said a federal judge issued the Fulton County search warrant under seal, adding she has “not seen the warrant or the evidence of probable cause.”

That’s why she said her office “had no ability, authority or responsibility to inform the Committees about the search warrant ahead of its execution.”

ACA drop

Credit: Allison Robbert/AP

Credit: Allison Robbert/AP

The deadline for Georgians to sign up for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act has come and gone. Now Democrats are pointing to a drop in enrollment as proof that expired tax credits, which were designed to make the program more affordable, are forcing Georgians to drop health insurance coverage altogether.

According to new data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, roughly 200,000 Georgians who had ACA plans last year have dropped their coverage, a 14% decline. That happened as expiring tax credits meant a jump in premiums for most enrollees.

Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin highlighted the drop and blamed Republicans for letting the tax credits expire.

“While tens of thousands of Georgians lose their health care due to Republican inaction and indifference, Democrats are fighting back to fix this affordability emergency,” Martin said. “It’s time for Republicans to grow a backbone and stop raising costs on people in Georgia.”

Under the Gold Dome

Credit: Adam Beam/AJC

Credit: Adam Beam/AJC

It’s Day 12 of the legislative session. Some happenings:

Message sent

Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC

Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC

The Georgia Supreme Court has twice declined to strike down a Georgia law that has put some companies on the hook for paying civil court judgments against their employees. But it’s not because they thought it was fair.

In the most recent case, a woman won a $500,000 sexual harassment judgment against an Atlanta actor and comedian. The actor couldn’t pay the judgment, so the woman sought to garnish some of the actor’s wages from NBCUniversal, which had employed the actor in the past.

When NBCUniversal didn’t respond to the lawsuit, the court ruled the company was responsible for paying the $500,000. The Georgia Supreme Court essentially upheld that ruling on Tuesday.

But in a concurring opinion five of the nine justices said the law “is on questionable constitutional footing.” The justices wrote their most recent ruling declining to strike on those constitutional issues “should not be understood as discounting their seriousness.”

“The General Assembly should seriously consider addressing it,” Chief Justice Nels S.D. Peterson wrote.

Listen up

Today on the “Politically Georgia” podcast we discuss what’s next in Fulton County after last week’s FBI raid on an election warehouse. Then, we break down Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s comments about the raid and what it means for Georgia’s race for governor.

You can listen and subscribe to Politically Georgia for free an Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

Have a question or comment for the show? Email us at politicallygeorgia@ajc.com or give us a call at 770-810-5297 and you could be featured on a future episode.

Today in Washington

Credit: Alex Brandon/AP

Credit: Alex Brandon/AP

Happenings:

Shutdown ends

Credit: J. Scott Applewhite/AP

Credit: J. Scott Applewhite/AP

The U.S. House voted Tuesday to end the partial government shutdown by passing five full-year appropriations bills and two-weeks of funding for the Department of Homeland Security. Twenty-one Democrats voted in favor of the bill, including Georgia U.S. Reps. Sanford Bishop and David Scott.

Democrats who supported the bill say the temporary funding for DHS gives them time to negotiate a long-term proposal that reins in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement after agents killed two American citizens in Minnesota. But the vast majority of Democrats said they couldn’t stomach approving even temporary ICE funding.

Twenty-one Republicans voted against the measure, mainly because they were upset that negotiators declined to insert language creating national voter registration standards that critics say could make it harder to cast a ballot.

All eight of Georgia’s House Republicans voted for the funding bill. Among those celebrating its passage was U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, who was able to add in language he has long championed to place limits on pharmacy benefits managers. Carter was in the Oval Office Tuesday afternoon to witness Trump sign the bill into law.

Shoutouts

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Today’s birthdays:

Want a birthday shoutout in the Politically Georgia newsletter? There’s a form for that. Click here to submit the shoutouts. It’s not just birthdays. We’re also interested in new jobs, engagements, birth announcements, etc.

Before you go

Credit: Adam Beam/AJC

Credit: Adam Beam/AJC

Habitat for Humanity affiliates across Georgia built a home on Liberty Plaza across the street from the state Capitol on Tuesday.

That’ll do it for us today. As always, you can send your best scoops, gossip and insider info to greg.bluestein@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com, patricia.murphy@ajc.com and adam.beam@ajc.com.