Georgia gubernatorial candidate Burt Jones made a campaign stop in Statesboro Thursday.
Speaking to a crowd inside the banquet room of Forest Heights Country Club, the Republican was introduced by State Sen. Billy Hickman. The state's lieutenant governor, Jones announced his candidacy last year and is endorsed by President Donald Trump. Jones and Trump held a campaign phone call Thursday evening.
In the May 19 primary, Jones took 38.4% of the votes, falling short of the 50% plus one needed to avoid a runoff. Rick Jackson was second with 32.5% and the runoff on Tuesday will decide the Republican nominee to face former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who is the Democrat’s nominee to replace Gov. Brian Kemp.
It’s been a costly race on the Republican side, both in terms of money spent and accusations hurled at each other, Jones acknowledged Thursday.
“It’s been a nasty campaign,” he said. “And it’s been very expensive. We’ve had $200 million spent against us. I give us the best chance.”
Jones pointed out he won 127 of the state’s 159 counties in the May 19 primary.
“It didn’t happen by accident,” he said. “It is because of the grass roots efforts of people just like you and the relationships we have in counties all over the state that we were successful.”
Jones, from Jackson, grew up on a cattle farm and his family now runs Jones Petroleum, with around 2,500 employees. He said that when he decided to run for governor, he wanted to focus on “kitchen table” issues, including lowering taxes, improving access to health care in rural areas, and cutting back on regulations.
“I’m proud of the record I have,” he said.
Jones said one of his goals is to eliminate the state income tax and the property tax for homeowners.
“There is a way of doing it, but you have to have the legislature on your side,” he said. “I want to put more money back in your pockets.”
With the governor’s seat up for grabs as Kemp reaches his term limit, and U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff also running for re-election, Jones called Georgia “ground zero” for the national political stage, and added nearly $1 billion could be spent on the Senate and governor’s races.
“They are beatable,” he said about Ossoff and Bottoms. “But if you pick the wrong person, we will lose.”
