Georgia Health Care Executive Defeats Trump-Backed Lt. Governor in GOP Primary Runoff

Rick Jackson, a health care executive, won Georgia's Republican gubernatorial nomination on June 16, defeating incumbent Lt. Gov. Burt Jones in a runoff. Jones entered the race with significant structural advantages: the Trump endorsement and the power of incumbency. Jackson's victory will prompt examination of what drove the upset — candidate quality, organization, spending, or some combination — as both parties assess Georgia's general election landscape.