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The two Republican heavyweights in the May 19th gubernatorial primary— Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and billionaire healthcare CEO Rick Jackson— have taken off the gloves and are trading punches.

Jackson just filed a defamation lawsuit accusing Jones of “acting intentionally and maliciously” after a TV report was published about a new poll in the race. When the polls results were published, Jones’ X account accused Jackson of having “made his fortune recruiting for Planned Parenthood” and “helping doctors perform transgender procedures on minors.”

Jackson calls it all “Lies.” Seasoned libel/defamation attorneys tell James Magazine Online, though, that Jones is obviously a public figure and it’s a very high legal standard to make a libel charge stick.

Interestingly, Jackson actually met President Donald Trump, who has endorsed Jones, at an event at the president’s Mar-a-Lago compound the other day. The meeting was cordial by all accounts. But two days later other sources say Trump greenlighted Jones’ tough advertising.

The lieutenant governor is firing a flamethrower against Jackson, including a SlickRickJackson.com website and advertising that his opponent’s companies received a whopping billion dollars in state contracts. Jackson repeatedly fires back against Jones on TV and social media. And the healthcare executive reminds voters that another lawsuit he filed against Jones was to prevent him from “unfairly” using funds in his leadership committee for his gubernatorial campaign.

When announcing he was running for governor, Jackson said he would spend an “initial” 40 million dollars in statewide advertising right up to GOP primary day. That of course makes him formidable. But Jones insists that he’ll also garner enough donations to continue fighting right up to election night.

Dem Harris, Republican Fuller head to CD-14 runoff

Tuesday’s special election to fill the seat of former U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene may have had a crowded field, but it quickly turned into a two horse race that will see a Democrat and a Republican head to a runoff.  Democrat Shawn Harris actually took home the most votes overall (37%) as Republicans split more of the pot, but it was Trump-endorsed Clay Fuller (35%) who emerged from the GOP field to advance to the next round of voting, scheduled for April 7th.

Dems may consider the result a win of sorts, but will face an (extremely) uphill battle in the reliably-red 14th District, which stretches from a slice of Cobb County up through Bartow County towards Rome and Dalton in the northwest corner of the state.  Fuller, the district attorney for the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit, was quick to earn the President’s endorsement, styling himself as a ‘MAGA Warrior’ who won’t be as much of a loose cannon as his predecessor.

Among Tuesday’s losers was former state Sen. Colton Moore, as well as Republicans Brian Stover and Tom Gray, who ran competitive campaigns.  If any Republicans decide to try their luck again they won’t have to wait long, the 14th District will host its regular primary for the 2026 midterms this May.