ATLANTA — Georgia’s races for governor and U.S. Senate are headed to Republican runoffs after no candidate secured enough votes to win outright in Tuesday’s primary election.
Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and billionaire Rick Jackson will now face each other one-on-one in the June 16 runoff election.
During his election night speech in Jackson, Georgia, Jones told supporters he was prepared for the fight ahead.
“I love giving this guy a one-on-one, I can promise you that; I’ve been looking for that,” Jones said.
Meanwhile, Jackson projected confidence while speaking to supporters at the Omni Hotel at The Battery.
“We beat the odds tonight, and we’re going to win on June 16,” Jackson said.
The winner of the Republican runoff will face Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms in November after she secured her party’s nomination.
“We are going to build a Georgia that works for all of us,” Bottoms said.
Bottoms also told supporters voters were looking for someone willing to fight for Georgians.
“And Georgians sent a clear message tonight that they want a fighter,” Bottoms said.
Grammy-winning rapper Killer Mike endorsed Bottoms during election night events, saying she could become Georgia’s first Democratic governor in more than 20 years.
“And I believe that we still have basically working class values. So no matter what you call yourself, if you’re representing for the working class, I believe you can come out of the vote,” he said.
The governor’s race has also seen a major influx of campaign spending, with more than $110 million spent on advertisements in the Republican primary. Democrats spent about $3 million.
The Republican Senate primary is also heading to a runoff. Congressman Mike Collins and political outsider Derek Dooley will face off again on June 16 after neither candidate received more than 50% of the vote.
Collins said his campaign succeeded despite being heavily outspent.
“When you hear people talk about how much money Jon Ossoff has, remind them of the results tonight; that the winning campaign did the most with the least. We were out spent 15-1,” Collins said.
Dooley told supporters he believes voters are looking for change in Washington.
“It wasn’t because their ideas were better, it wasn’t because they were better equipped to represent the Georgia people, we were attacked because we were a threat to what’s going on in DC,” Dooley said.
Sen. Jon Ossoff did not face a Democratic challenger and automatically advanced to the November general election. His campaign released a statement calling Collins a “failed congressman” and Dooley a “failed coach.”
South Georgia Congressman Buddy Carter failed to secure enough votes to make the Republican Senate runoff, finishing behind Collins and Dooley with about 25% of the vote.
The Republican runoffs for governor and Senate are scheduled for June 16. The winners will advance to the general election in November.
WSB Radio’s Ashley Simmons contributed to this story.
