(The Center Square) – Three weeks before Georgians return to the polls, candidates are swiping barbs and announcing new endorsements.
Republicans have two important races to decide on June 16. Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and businessman Rick Jackson topped a crowded field last week to advance to the gubernatorial runoff.
The latest poll from InsiderAdvantage shows Jones in the lead, taking 48% of 800 likely voters surveyed to Jackson’s 42%, with 10% still undecided. The winner will face former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, winner over seven other candidates in the Democratic primary.
Attorney General Chris Carr, who also ran for governor, is endorsing Jackson, according to a social media post from Jackson.
Jones has President Donald Trump’s endorsement. Jackson has yet to accept an invitation to debate from the Atlanta Press Club, according to Jones, who said he will appear at the debate.
“The only question is whether Rick Jackson will have the courage to show up or leave Georgia voters staring at an empty podium,” Jones said on Monday.
In the race for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate, U.S. Rep. Mike Collins has retained his lead over former Tennessee head football coach Derek Dooley with 46% to Dooley’s 41%. The poll shows 13% of those surveyed are undecided. The winner will face incumbent Jon Ossoff in November.
Collins fired a staff member who made a comment on social media about a man’s wife who accused Matt Laurer, the former host of “Today,” of sexually assaulting her.
Collins did not identify the staff member.
“This kind of disgusting behavior does not represent Georgia values – or frankly any values – and is exactly why Mike Collins cannot be our nominee this November,” Dooley said. “A vote for Collins is a vote for Ossoff.”
In other races, state Sen. Josh McLaurin received an endorsement from former gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams on Monday in his bid for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor. He is facing his state Sen. Nabilah Parkes.
“I am deeply honored to announce Stacey Abrams’s support for my campaign,” McLaurin said in a social media post. “She has spent the last decade building the foundation for voter participation and Democratic successes in Georgia. We wouldn’t even be having a conversation about the prospects of a competitive lieutenant governor general election without the work she has done to inspire voters and protect their access to the ballot box.”
Former state Sen. John F. Kennedy, running against Sen. Greg Dolezal for the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor, said Abrams is 0-2 in Georgia.
“Georgians have rejected Stacey Abrams’s radical agenda twice already and they’re certainly not interested in another politician who’s all talk and no action,” Kennedy said in a social media post.
Republicans and Democrats will choose a nominee for secretary of state.
State Rep. Tim Fleming led a crowded Republican field but didn’t get enough votes to avoid a runoff. He will face former DeKalb County CEO Vernon Jones, who mustered 27% to Fleming’s 39%.
Former state court Judge Penny Brown Reynolds will face former Fulton County Commissioner Dana Barrett to determine who represents Democrats in the secretary of state’s race in November.
Three other statewide races will also be on the ballot.
Democrats Michelle Sanchez and Nikki Porcher are vying to challenge Republican incumbent Labor Commissioner Bárbara Rivera Holmes.
Deandre Mathis and Keisha Sean Waites are seeking the Democratic nomination for state insurance commissioner and the right to challenge incumbent John King in November.
Also on the ballot is a seat on the Public Service Commission. Republicans Bobby Mehan and Josh Tolbert are seeking the District 5 post, formerly held by Tricia Pridemore, who unsuccessfully ran for Congress in the 14th District. The winner will face Democrat Sheila Edwards in November.
