By Elliott Brack
Editor and publisher, GwinnettForum
FEB. 20, 2026 | Will Georgians in 2026 hail one of their own kind, and vote for a Republican health care millionaire to win the primary for governor?
Judging by the reaction in Georgia elections in the last 80 years, the answer is no.
The new wealthy entrant in the race is Rick Jackson, the founder of Jackson Healthcare of Alpharetta.
He follows another wealthy Republican who entered the governor’s race four years ago. Remember U.S. Sen. David Perdue’s primary challenge to Gov. Brian Kemp? That effort floundered rather badly for Perdue, who limped home to Sea Island and hasn’t been heard from much since.
Now Jackson, 71, wants Georgians to elect him, he who has absolutely no experience in public office, who has only concentrated on piling up his fortune. He wants us to think of him as a “conservative,” similar to the ways a lot of Republicans think President Trump is a conservative. Many people bristle at the thoughts of President Trump in that manner, more thinking that he is an autocratic would-be king.
Jackson grew up poor, living for a time at Techwood Homes in downtown Atlanta. He also was for a time in foster care, and today devotes time to trying to improve that system.
We found little biographical information on Jackson, such as information on his parents, where he went to school, how he achieved such success in the health industry, or what his beliefs are. As a private businessman, he may want to control those tidbits of information, but voters will want to know more, far more.
Jackson, as a rich man wanting to become governor, reminds one of the 1946 governor’s race, which was then decided in the Democratic Primary. That year, Jimmy Carmichael of Marietta, was a candidate against Herman Talmadge for governor.
Carmichael was prominent in the state, having been general manager of the Bell Aircraft plant during World War II. He had been a two-term legislator in the 1930s, and was the candidate in what was referred to as the progressive (read in those days Republican) element of the Democratic Party.
Like Jackson today, his image was that of a well-oiled and financially strong candidate. Carmichael is credited with being part of a team from Marietta that in 1941 built the Cobb County Airport, called Rickenbacker Field, which later was Dobbins Air Base, which attracted the Army Air Corps and a branch of Bell Aircraft Corporation to the area. Soon Carmichael was general manager of the Bell Bomber plant, which eventually had 28,000 employees. It was at this plant that turned out 662 airplanes, including the famous B-29, a key airplane in winning the war, particularly against the Japanese. The Bell plant was proud to deliver all of its B-29 production on time and without a single crash.
That’s how Carmichael was a major candidate against Herman Talmadge in 1946. In the primary, Carmichael won the popular vote, getting 45 percent against 43 percent for Talmadge.
But Georgia’s politics in those days operated under the County Unit System to elect statewide officers. Talmadge got 91 unit votes and won; Carmichael had 21 unit votes; and others got nine units. Talmadge began his first full term as governor. His previous term was for two years, but that’s another story, as is the county-unit system for Georgia newcomers.
So here’s Rick Jackson trying to edge himself into the Republican primary, trying to bank roll his case with $40 million.
We suspect that money will be frittered away by the time the primary is over. Rick Jackson will still be on the sidelines of politics, looking in.
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