Politics
Jackson adds Trump’s Perry rally to Georgia campaign schedule
Republican gubernatorial nominee Rick Jackson will attend President Donald Trump’s Saturday rally in Perry after initially planning to campaign elsewhere with Gov. Brian Kemp. The change comes as Republicans worry about sluggish early voting in rural Georgia and Jackson faces Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms in a close race.
Georgia Republican gubernatorial nominee Rick Jackson plans to appear with President Donald Trump at a Saturday campaign rally in Perry, reversing an earlier decision to skip the event and campaign with Gov. Brian Kemp instead.
Jackson’s campaign said Friday that he would attend both the rally and his previously scheduled stop with Kemp in Cherokee County. The Perry event comes less than two weeks before Election Day and is intended to energize Republican voters.
Earlier in the week, Jackson’s campaign had described his absence from Trump’s rally as a strategic “force multiplier,” saying he would focus on turning out voters in another Republican stronghold. The decision to attend both events comes as Republicans express concern about sluggish early voting in rural parts of the state.
Jackson, a billionaire health care executive, is competing against Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms in a close race. His campaign faces the challenge of mobilizing Trump’s supporters while appealing to a broader group of voters. Kemp, who has taken a more moderate approach than Trump, has campaigned with Jackson and urged Republicans to vote early.
Trump appeared with Jackson at a rally in Dalton on Oct. 16. Saturday’s Perry stop adds another joint appearance as the Republican campaign seeks to build turnout ahead of the Nov. 3 election.