By Trendsetter Tribune 
Billionaire healthcare executive Rick Jackson has surged to the front of the Republican field for Georgia Governor, according to a recent poll, upending a race that was previously considered a clear path for Trump-backed Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones.
The Polling Shift: Jackson vs. Jones
A new survey from co/efficient, conducted Feb. 8–9, 2026, shows Jackson leading the crowded field just one week after entering the race. However, the results have faced immediate scrutiny from rivals due to the pollster’s ties to Jackson’s campaign firm.
| Candidate | Support (co/efficient) | Support (Cygnal) |
| Rick Jackson (Healthcare Exec) | 24% | 16% |
| Burt Jones (Lt. Governor) | 16% | 22% |
| Brad Raffensperger (Sec. of State) | 9% | 10% |
| Chris Carr (Attorney General) | 3% | 7% |
| Undecided | 42% | 45% |
- The Conflict: Jones’s campaign dismissed the co/efficient poll as a “grift,” noting it was conducted by a firm sharing leadership with Jackson’s consultants. Meanwhile, the earlier Cygnal poll (Feb. 5–6) still showed Jones holding a steady six-point lead.
- The “Runoff” Risk: With four major candidates and nearly half of voters undecided, Georgia political analysts predict the May 19 primary will likely result in a June 16 runoff, as no candidate is currently near the 50% threshold.
Jackson’s “Trump-Style” Platform
Jackson, who grew up in the foster care system before building a multi-billion dollar healthcare empire, is running as a “real-life” outsider. He has pledged to spend $50 million of his own fortune to break what he calls the “Atlanta political cartel.”
Key Campaign Promises:
- Economic: Freeze property taxes and cut the state income tax by 50% within four years.
- Social: “Criminalize reverse discrimination” and remove “woke ideology” from the education system.
- Immigration: Make Georgia the “#1 state for deporting criminal illegal immigrants.”
The Battle for the MAGA Base
While Burt Jones holds the official endorsement of President Donald Trump, Jackson is aggressively courting the same constituency. Jackson’s launch included ads portraying Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger as a “Judas” for his handling of the 2020 election, a move intended to appeal to voters still skeptical of the state’s election establishment.
Jones has remained defiant, stating, “It doesn’t change the fact that I’m the only Trump-endorsed candidate in the race.”