Jackson says he’s ‘concerned’ about Georgia rural voter turnout

Georgia gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson (R) is sharing his concerns about rural turnout in his election , as early voting is underway across the Peach State.

“I am concerned that rural Georgia still thinks we’re red and therefore they look at somebody like myself and my opponent and just say, ‘Well, there’s no comparison,’” Jackson said at a campaign stop , according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Early turnout figures, aggregated by nonpartisan election data site VoteHub, show Black voters turning out at high rates in the first few days of early voting. While Black voters will be critical to Democrats winning statewide, Jackson relies on rural Georgia to turn out in big numbers.

Jackson is running in a competitive race against former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms (D).

Georgia is traditionally a battleground state, but Sen. Jon Ossoff (D) has consistently led by wide margins in polls of his reelection bid. Bottoms is running far closer, but Democrats hope that a big win for Ossoff could pull Bottoms over the finish line.

A poll from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the University of Georgia released this week found Ossoff ahead by eight points, 48 percent to 40 percent, while Jackson led Bottoms by one point, 46 to 45.

Former President Obama will visit Georgia next week to campaign with Ossoff and Bottoms.

One area where Jackson has a significant advantage is in fundraising. As a billionaire and healthcare executive, Jackson has been able to self-fund a significant portion of his campaign throughout the primary and general election. Jackson has put over $100 million of his own money into the gubernatorial race and has significantly outspent Bottoms.

While Democrats are unlikely to match Jackson’s fundraising, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D), also a billionaire, donated $1 million to Bottoms’ campaign, Politico reported Tuesday.

Nonpartisan election forecaster Decision Desk HQ, a partner of The Hill, gives Bottoms a 56 percent chance of winning the Georgia gubernatorial contest.