Carr backs businessman Rick Jackson in Georgia’s GOP runoff for governor

Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr, whose unsuccessful run for governor ended last week when he finished fourth in the Republican primary, has endorsed wealthy healthcare executive Rick Jackson.

Jackson, who received about 33% of the vote, will face Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who came in first place with about 38% of the vote, in a June 16 runoff. The winner will face Democratic nominee Keisha Lance Bottoms in November.

In a social media post, Carr said that Jackson “will build on Brian Kemp’s legacy.” Kemp, who is term-limited and finishing his final year in office, has not endorsed a candidate in the race. 

Carr, who has been attorney general since 2016, had cast himself as a Kemp-style Republican. He ended up with about 12% of the vote in last week’s election. 

“Rick Jackson is an outsider businessman, a man of deep faith and integrity who will do what’s right for the people of Georgia. He has law enforcement’s back, will crack down on crime and corruption, and cut taxes,” Carr also said in a press release.

Jackson celebrated the endorsement, saying that Carr “has been a principled leader for Georgia, and his support means a great deal to me.”

“No one understands Georgia government and what our state needs to continue moving forward better than Attorney General Chris Carr,” Jackson said in a press release.

Jones, who is endorsed by President Donald Trump, and Jackson, who often compares himself to Trump, have been in a multi-million-dollar battle in hopes of having a chance to be the Republican nominee in November. Jones, who spent about a third of what Jackson’s campaign spent leading up to the primary, celebrated getting a higher share of the votes than Jackson.

A spokesperson for Jones’ campaign did not immediately offer comment Tuesday night.

At the Atlanta Press Club debate in late April, Carr and Jackson displayed some friendliness toward one another when Jackson prodded  Carr for his opinion as attorney general. Jackson asked whether it was “appropriate for the lieutenant governor, a statewide elected official, to threaten legislation of members if they supported his political opponent or demanded up to $100,000 in campaign contributions just to have a meeting.”

Carr responded by saying that “Burt Jones should not be the next governor of Georgia.” Carr added that if he had not been running for office, he would have started an investigation into the allegation Jackson posed.

Spokespeople for the attorney general’s office did not immediately respond to a question about whether Carr plans to start an investigation now that he’s out of the race.

Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who got 15% of the vote, has not yet made an endorsement. A spokesman for the Raffensperger campaign did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment Tuesday night.