ATLANTA — The Democratic and Republican candidates for Georgia governor are gearing up for what’s next in this election season.
Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms dominated the Democratic primary and can now concentrate on November. But for Republicans Rick Jackson and Burt Jones, they now have to battle each other in a runoff.
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Hours after Jackson made it into a runoff with Jones, the businessman stopped at the WSB-TV studios to talk about his campaign and the runoff.
“It’s down to two people now. And so from my standpoint, I have to share a message of what I’m doing as an outsider. My opponent basically represents the political class, and I represent the forgotten class,” Jackson told Channel 2’s Richard Elliot.
Jackson will face off against Lt. Governor Burt Jones. The two have clashed in a series of negative campaign ads, which will likely continue through the runoff.
Jones told his supports he took some of the negative ads personally even as he ran his own about Jackson.
“We’ve had over $100 million spent against us. Most of them are attack ads on myself, my family, just whatever they could make up. Didn’t matter what it was. I mean just the wildest. Jan and I would wake up in the mornings and wonder what are they going to come up with next,” Jones said.
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Meanwhile, Bottoms is waiting in the November wings. She dominated a crowded Democratic field and won without a runoff. That gives her time to prepare for either Jackson or Jones.
She thinks Georgia voters will listen to her.
“They’re willing to listen and they’re willing to cross party lines when they believe that there’s a candidate who’s speaking for them and fighting for them,” Bottoms told Elliot.
The Republican runoff election is June 16.
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