Two Democratic sheriffs in Georgia crossed party lines to endorse Republican candidate Rick Jackson to be the Peach State’s next governor over Democratic candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms.
Sheriffs Ashley Paulk of Lowndes County, a central county on the state’s border with Florida, and Craig Peavy of Dooly County, in the central southern part of the state, each backed Jackson on Tuesday. The law enforcement officials cited Jackson’s stances on public safety in their endorsements, according to Atlanta News First, which first reported the news.
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“Public safety is more important than political affiliations,” Paulk told the outlet.
Jackson, a businessman and billionaire, defeated President Donald Trump-endorsed Lt. Gov. Burt Jones (R-GA) in the GOP primary to win the chance to take on Bottoms in the general election, ultimately garnering Trump’s backing for the general election. Georgia’s gubernatorial race is a big test for the purple state GOP, as the party looks to defend term-limited Gov. Brian Kemp’s (R-GA) seat while Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) is polling ahead in the Senate race on the November ballot.
Cross-party endorsements have been boasted by candidates like a badge of honor in the southern swing state’s elections this year. Ossoff earned two endorsements from GOP mayors in August for his general reelection campaign against Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA). Ossoff has been campaigning with Bottoms, the former Atlanta mayor, as she takes on Jackson in her bid for the governor’s mansion.
But Jackson, who is campaigning to make Georgia more affordable by cutting taxes and wasteful spending, has hit Bottoms hard on her public safety record, including in a late June advertisement from his campaign.
“Public safety isn’t a left or right issue,” Jackson wrote on X. “It’s a matter of public trust. We’ll support law enforcement, recruit and retain officers, and work to make every neighborhood and street safe. THANK YOU to Sheriff Ashley Paulk and Sheriff Craig Peavy for supporting our campaign!”
Bottoms, who is also running on affordability, emphasizing lowering healthcare and housing costs, takes a dual approach to public safety, writing on her campaign website that she believes “safer communities require both enforcement and prevention.”
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Polling in the race between Bottoms and Jackson has shown a tight race, with Bottoms leading by single digits in all but two of about half a dozen polls since the GOP primary runoff election.
Trump flipped Georgia in his favor in 2024, besting former Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential election by a 2.2-point margin.
