Rick Jackson is the Republican nominee for Georgia governor on the November 3, 2026 ballot, the founder and chief executive of the Alpharetta health care staffing company Jackson Healthcare, and he faces Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms for the open seat.
About Rick Jackson
- Full name
- Rick Jackson, Republican, listed by Ballotpedia as a candidate for Governor of Georgia
- Current role
- Founder and CEO of Jackson Healthcare, a health care staffing company based in Alpharetta, Georgia, whose companies include the recruiting firm Jackson Physician Search
- Path to the nomination
- Defeated Lt. Gov. Burt Jones in the June 16, 2026 Republican runoff
- Seeking
- Governor of Georgia, general election November 3, 2026, against Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms, for the seat Gov. Brian Kemp leaves because of term limits
- Key positions
- Campaign statement backing the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, April 27, 2026; support for the Iran war, March 2026; campaign pledge to defend Georgia's six-week abortion ban, June 9, 2026; health plan with a work-requirement Medicaid waiver, September 8, 2026
What Rick Jackson Is Responsible For
- Medicaid and health coverage. Rick Jackson's campaign told Fox News Digital on April 27, 2026: "Rick supports the Big Beautiful Bill. Period." By KFF's estimates, that law cuts federal Medicaid money for Georgia by $7.6 billion over ten years and leaves 150,000 more Georgians uninsured in 2034.
- Medicaid work requirements. Jackson's campaign calls him "a strong proponent of work requirements," and his September 2026 health plan calls for a Georgia waiver with strict work rules. Georgia's existing work-rule program, Pathways, had enrolled 20,321 of more than 100,000 eligible Georgians by August 2026 and spent more than twice as much on administration as on care.
- Food assistance. Jackson answered critics of work rules for public aid in February 2026 with the verse "If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat." The law he backs extends SNAP's time limit to older adults and parents of teenagers, which the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, analyzing the Senate proposal that became law, estimated would put 96,000 Georgians at risk of losing food aid, and leaves Georgia $47 million in new SNAP administrative costs.
- Taxes and the deficit. Jackson praised "many parts" of the law and said he would otherwise pay "40 percent more in taxes," Fox News reported. The Congressional Budget Office finds the top tenth of households gains $13,600 a year under the law while the lowest-income tenth loses about $1,200, and projects $4.2 trillion in added debt by 2034.
- Abortion. Jackson's campaign told CBS News Atlanta on June 9, 2026 that he will defend Georgia's six-week abortion ban as governor, and HuffPost reported that he said in March he "would support a total abortion ban if it landed on his desk as governor." Georgia's maternal mortality review committee found that Amber Thurman and Candi Miller died preventable deaths under that ban.
- Insurance costs. The law Jackson backs makes marketplace enrollees repay excess premium tax credits in full from the 2026 tax year and ends automatic renewal from 2028, in a state where 96 percent of marketplace enrollees used those credits in 2025.
- Rural hospitals. KFF estimates the law Jackson backs cuts federal Medicaid spending in rural Georgia by $1.74 billion over ten years, against a $219 million first-year award from its rural health fund, while 22 rural Georgia hospitals are at risk of closing.
- Elder care and Medicare. The law Jackson backs blocks the federal nursing-home staffing standard until October 1, 2034, though Medicaid is the main payer for 71 percent of Georgia nursing-home residents, and ends Medicare for some lawfully present immigrants on February 1, 2027.
- Children and families. Under the law Jackson backs, 743,000 Georgia children, 31 percent of the state's children, live in families that earn too little for the full child tax credit, according to Columbia University's Center on Poverty and Social Policy.
- Immigration enforcement. The law Jackson backs puts $170.7 billion into immigration and border enforcement, and the Folkston ICE Processing Center in southeast Georgia is set to expand to 3,000 beds.
- The Iran war. Jackson said in March 2026, "I completely support what he's doing in Iran." The Pentagon counted 21 U.S. service members killed and 865 wounded by October 2026, and Georgia's average gas price rose 47 percent between the start of the war and September 17, 2026.
- Tariffs. Jackson said of the president's tariffs in March 2026, "So I support," Fox News reported, and in September 2026 he declined to criticize the tariffs squeezing Georgia farm margins; the Yale Budget Lab estimated in August 2026 that current-law tariffs cost the average household about $1,100 a year.
- Energy bills. The law Jackson backs ends tax credits for wind and solar power, home efficiency upgrades and electric vehicles, which Energy Innovation estimated could add about $270 a year to the average Georgia household's energy costs by 2035.
- Student debt. Under the law Jackson backs, Georgia student loan borrowers moved off the SAVE plan pay $1,993 more a year on average, by the Center for American Progress's estimate.
- Infrastructure. The law Jackson backs took back about $151 million of the $157 million federal construction grant for Atlanta's Stitch, a park and street project over the Downtown Connector.
- His own company's warnings. Jackson's campaign backs the law "Period," but Jackson Physician Search, part of his company, cited in February 2026 the Congressional Budget Office's projection that "more than 10 million Americans will lose coverage due to eligibility rules, work requirements, and expiring tax credits," and warned in September 2025 that some health care organizations "must find ways to adapt or close their doors."
How This Page on Rick Jackson Is Sourced
Rick Jackson's positions on this page are linked to his own posts on X, his campaign's statements as reported by named outlets such as Fox News and CBS News Atlanta, and Georgia news coverage such as Atlanta News First; his company's statements are linked to Jackson Physician Search's own website and reports; Georgia figures come from KFF, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and Georgia sources, and each figure links to its source; the page was last updated on October 26, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions About Rick Jackson
What is Rick Jackson's record under Trump?
Rick Jackson's campaign backs the One Big Beautiful Bill Act without qualification, he pledged to defend Georgia's six-week abortion ban, and he has spoken in support of the Iran war and the president's tariffs. In Georgia, that law cuts federal Medicaid money by $7.6 billion over ten years, and the state's gas prices rose 47 percent after the war began.
Does Rick Jackson support the One Big Beautiful Bill Act?
Yes: Rick Jackson's campaign spokesman, Mike Schrimpf, said in an April 27, 2026 statement to Fox News that "Rick supports the Big Beautiful Bill. Period," and said Democrats had attacked that support "for months." At a Thomasville campaign event in March 2026, Jackson praised "many parts" of the law.
What has Rick Jackson's company said about the One Big Beautiful Bill Act?
Rick Jackson's company, Jackson Healthcare, owns the recruiting firm Jackson Physician Search, which wrote in March 2026 that coverage losses under the law can lead health care organizations to "delay service expansions, reduce hiring plans, or freeze recruitment altogether." In September 2025 the same firm wrote that the law's "sweeping cuts to Medicaid and ACA programs raise serious concerns about access, equity, and sustainability."
Does Rick Jackson support Medicaid work requirements?
Yes: Rick Jackson posted on February 15, 2026 that critics of work requirements for public assistance are "dead wrong," and his September 2026 health plan relies on a waiver with strict work rules. Georgia's own work-requirement program showed no measurable gain in employment over its first 15 months when compared with nearby states, Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health reported.
What has Rick Jackson said about abortion?
Rick Jackson's campaign said in June 2026 that he "strongly supports Georgia's current Heartbeat law and will defend it as governor," and in audio from an April 2026 campaign stop he appeared to agree with a voter's comments about proving rape claims, CBS News Atlanta reported.
What has Rick Jackson said about the Iran war?
Rick Jackson posted on April 8, 2026 that Americans "should all trust him, and pray for him as he continues to take on this challenge in Iran," referring to the president. The Pentagon has put the war's cost at $43.6 billion, its highest official estimate as of September 2026.
Last updated: 2026-10-26