Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson made a stop in Coweta County today to host a meet and greet with Georgia voters as he journeys to the governorship.
The event took place in the City of Newnan and was hosted by the Redneck Gourmet, a famous restaurant known throughout Georgia.
The outsider candidate arrived in his campaign bus emblazoned with the slogan ‘Foster Care to Billionaire Conservative Outsider.’ As soon as Jackson entered the restaurant, he struck up conversations with voters looking to get his insight on issues.
@RickJacksonGA spotted in Coweta County!!! pic.twitter.com/9vepKYUncd
— James Swafford (@JamesSwaff) March 30, 2026
In an exclusive interview with Dome Politics, Jackson discussed his political aspirations, likening his "outsider" status to that of President Donald Trump when he first ran for the White House.
Exclusive Comments
I first asked him about his status as an outsider candidate and whether he considered himself to be anti-establishment.
Jackson responded, “Well, I'm certainly an outside business person, you know, not dissimilar to what Trump was when he first came in, from that standpoint. So I don't know if anybody's claiming that. I'm claiming that because I'm not a politician, and I don't look at things like politicians. I'm not anti-establishment. Some establishments probably do need to make some changes.”
He criticized Lt. Governor Burt Jones (R-GA) and alluded to possible corruption, while praising the work of Governor Brian Kemp (R-GA) and House Speaker Jon Burns (R-Newington) as positive examples.
"I'm an anti-cartel guy, where we have people paying off people, you know, for favors and to have access and all that," he continued. "There are a lot of our people, especially children, who do not have access. They don't have lobbyists. They don't have people representing them. And what I want to do is represent those people that do not have representation.”
Recent claims made against his healthcare company and its alleged connections to Planned Parenthood and staffing transgender procedures have generated controversy around Jackson's campaign, but he flatly denied the validity of these claims.
“I have not gotten one dollar from Planned Parenthood, period," he affirmed. "And the idea that I would transgender kids, underage kids, is a ridiculous, complete lie... I don't mind getting beaten up on things that actually have, you know, a grain of truth, but that's the reason I started a defamation lawsuit. I didn't know you could just make up something like that.”
The outsider candidate claimed that he was more pro-life and pro-child than anybody else in the governor’s race and pointed to his frequent contributions to pro-life organizations as evidence.
He elaborated on his own non-profit, commenting, “And with children, I've had a Christian nonprofit since 2008. We have 3,000 kids that we have helped put in a Christian home. And which I think is one of the best places for kids, because that's what happened to me. I saw the value of a Christian home and what it could do, and that's what I wanted to do when I grew up.”
After providing these comments, the event began to wind down, and Jackson met with the Mayor of Newnan, James Shepherd. The meeting was cordial, and the two figures agreed on statewide and municipal issues.
The #meetandgreet winds down with @RickJacksonGA talking with the Mayor of Newnan👀 pic.twitter.com/yzfqVIlnCG
— James Swafford (@JamesSwaff) March 30, 2026
