Many news outlets have portrayed the upset win of billionaire and political outsider Rick Jackson in the Republican runoff for Georgia governor Tuesday as a blow or setback to President Donald Trump. After all, Trump endorsed the front-runner in the initial primary, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones.
In 2020, Jones defied fellow Republicans in the Peach State by calling on the legislature to elect Republican electors supporting Trump despite the apparent narrow win of its electoral votes by Joe Biden.
Though he defeated Jackson 38% to 33.9% in the initial primary May 19, Jones lost to him in the runoff by 52.7% to 47.3%.
Jackson's victory, however, had nothing to do with opposing a candidate endorsed by the president.
Spending an estimated $100 million of his fortune, healthcare magnate Jackson portrayed himself as an outsider businessman in the mold of Trump.
"He ran a great TV campaign," former Rep. John Linder, R-Ga., told Newsmax. "He cast himself as a very 'Trump-like' outsider. His references to Trump were always very positive."
As to whether the president went out of his way to help Jones, Linder said that "frankly, it didn't feel like Trump was really a heavy player."
"Jackson's campaign devoted most of his campaign ads to negative, anti-Jones advertising," veteran Augusta conservative activist and publisher Phil Kent said. "That certainly helped. He also promised to be Trump's 'favorite governor.' That helped blunt the president's endorsement of Burt Jones."
Jackson, 70, is now the favorite in November against former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, 56, the Democrats' nominee.
Although other states have elected businessmen with no political experience as governors — Massachusetts elected Mitt Romney, and Michigan elected his automotive executive father, George — Georgia has no history of governors in that mold.
The only governor of Georgia with no previous experience in office was segregationist and restaurant owner Lester Maddox, who was elected governor in 1966.
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.