The morning after Georgia's primary, Republican gubernatorial hopefuls Rick Jackson and Burt Jones were already trading barbs. Jackson, a healthcare billionaire running as a political outsider, told reporters he represents "the forgotten class" against Jones' "political class."
Jones, the sitting lieutenant governor, took about 38% of Tuesday's vote to Jackson's 33%. Neither cleared the 50% threshold needed to avoid a runoff, setting up a June 16 contest that could get even uglier than the primary.
Both candidates have already spent heavily on attack ads. Jones acknowledged the toll at his election night party, saying he and his wife "would wake up in the mornings and wonder what are they going to come up with next." Jackson's campaign, backed by over $100 million in spending against Jones according to the lieutenant governor's team, shows no signs of easing up.
The winner will face former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms in November. If Bottoms wins that race, she would become Georgia's first Black governor and first woman to hold the office. The last Democrat to win a gubernatorial race here was Roy Barnes nearly 28 years ago.
Meanwhile, the GOP Senate primary also heads to a runoff. Rep. Mike Collins and former Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley will square off June 16 for the chance to face Democratic incumbent Raphael Warnock.