Jones holds lead in endorsements as Georgia gubernatorial runoff votes counted

JACKSON, Ga. (WTOC) - Hours away from votes being counted in Georgia’s gubernatorial runoff, Burt Jones’ campaign says they feel confident.

Jones, the current lieutenant governor and Republican candidate for governor, is holding his watch party in Jackson. He led the primary by a 6% margin and said he was surprised by the result.

His team feels confident after an important endorsement from current Gov. Brian Kemp. While Jones has championed Donald Trump’s endorsement for months, he also earned the backing of the man currently holding the governor’s position.

Opponent Rick Jackson made attempts to gain the backing of Trump and Kemp, but both chose Jones.

Kemp’s approval rating among highest in nation

Out of all governors, Kemp had the seventh-highest approval rating at the end of 2025 according to morningconsult.com.

In a press conference Monday, Kemp and Jones talked about their work together and used that time as reason to vote for Jones.

“I’ve had a lot of good lessons from Governor Kemp, one of the lessons is that he keeps a calm and steady hand on the toughest of situations,” Jones said.

“Burt Jones and I have worked on going after criminals, street gangs creating the crimes, suppressing units, actually aiding the city of Atlanta to keep it from being burned down during civil unrest,” Kemp said.

Jackson dominates airwaves during runoff

The question remains whether endorsements will be enough to overtake the Rick Jackson TV ads that have dominated airways during the runoff.

Jones said the two candidates have similar policies, but he believes he is the one that will follow through with what he says.

An expert said endorsements will be key to getting Georgians voting for Jones.

The race is wide open. Hundreds of thousands voted for a different candidate in the primary.