Georgia Governor Brian Kemp has declined to endorse a candidate in the Republican primary runoff for his successor. The upcoming June 16 vote features a contest between Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones and former Senator David Jackson.

The 5.9% gap between Burt Jones and David Jackson

The May 19 primary failed to produce a majority winner, triggering a runoff between the top two contenders. According to the report, Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones led the initial field with 38.4% of the vote, while former US Senator David Jackson followed with 32.5%.

David Jackson has leveraged his status as a wealthy businessman to pour millions of his own funds into the campaign. This self-funding allows David Jackson to position himself as a political outsider untainted by the establishment, running on a platform that emphasizes reduced government regulation and stricter border controls.

The shadow of the 2020 certification and Trump's support for Jones

The tension in the race is anchored in the fractured relationship between Governor Brian Kemp and former President Donald Trump. As the report notes, Donald Trump has been a vocal critic of Brian Kemp since the 2020 election, specifically regarding the governor's decision to certify Joe Biden's narrow victory in Georgia.

Burt Jones has leaned into this dynamic by securing an endorsement from Donald Trump, a move that resonates deeply with the GOP base. Simultaneously, Burt Jones presents himself as a candidate of continuity, citing his close partnership with Brian Kemp to attract jobs to the Peach State and implement cuts to the state gas tax and income taxes.

The Derek Dooley exception and Kemp's strategic silence

While Brian Kemp has remained neutral in the gubernatorial race, he has not been entirely inactive in the primary cycle. Spokesman Garrison Douglas stated that the only runoff endorsement issued by Brian Kemp so far has been for Derek Dooley in a separate race.

This selective endorsement suggests that Brian Kemp is carefully avoiding a direct proxy war with Donald Trump. If Brian Kemp were to back David Jackson, it could trigger a confrontation between the governor's office and the Trump camp; conversely, backing Burt Jones would effectively unify the party's establishment and the MAGA wing under a single candidate.

Whether Brian Kemp will wait until after June 16 to act

A primary uncertainty remains whether Brian Kemp will maintain his neutrality until the winner is decided . Some analysts suggest the governor may wait until after the June 16 runoff to endorse the victor, thereby avoiding potential backlash from the losing faction of the party.

The race is further complicated by the absence of other high-profile Republicans , such as Attorney General Chris Carr and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who did not enter the primary field. Because runoff elections typically suffer from low turnout, Brian Kemp's eventual decision could tip the scales in a race that remains too close to call . The outcome will determine who leads the GOP effort to build a broad coalition for the highly contested 2026 general election.