A conservative Hispanic advocacy group threw its weight behind Republican billionaire Rick Jackson's bid for Georgia governor on Wednesday, betting that pocketbook frustration among the state's nearly 500,000 registered Latino voters can influence the race. LIBRE State PAC announced the endorsement of Jackson over Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms, pointing to his tax-cutting agenda and vows to slash business regulation as the deciding factors.
As reported by Atlanta News First, LIBRE representatives cited Jackson's plan to lower property taxes, his push to reduce business regulations, and his education policy platform as primary drivers behind the endorsement. The group also pointed to economic pressures as the top concern among Georgia's Latino voters, according to recent polling cited in that report. The LIBRE Initiative is a center-right Hispanic advocacy organization funded in part by the conservative Koch network and operating within the Americans for Prosperity network, according to ABC News.
Jackson and Bottoms are vying to succeed outgoing Gov. Brian Kemp and become Georgia's 84th chief executive, per the same Atlanta News First report. Jackson secured the Republican nomination in June by defeating Trump-endorsed Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones in a primary runoff, after pouring more than $80 million of his own wealth into the race, according to Courthouse News Service. He is campaigning as a political outsider seeking to become Georgia's first modern governor with no prior political background, the Atlanta News First article notes.
A Fast-Growing Electorate
A Fast-Growing Electorate Georgia's Hispanic population has grown by 32.7% since 2010, according to the Latino Community Fund Georgia. Latino voter registration in the state increased 29.3% between 2020 and 2024, per the Atlanta News First report. Yet that growth has not translated into Republican gains at the ballot box: the 2024 election results included votes for Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump among Georgia's Hispanic electorate. The Latino Community Fund Georgia reported an estimated 60% turnout among registered Latino voters.
National polling has identified pocketbook issues — food and basic living expenses, wages, housing affordability, and health care costs — as priorities among Hispanic voters. That pattern lines up with what LIBRE State PAC representatives described in the Atlanta News First piece, which listed cost of living, jobs, housing, and inflation among the most critical issues facing Georgia's Latino voters. LIBRE State PAC said it plans to conduct voter education, grassroots events, and get-out-the-vote efforts across Georgia ahead of the November election, launching a targeted outreach campaign aimed at mobilizing the state's Hispanic electorate.
Jackson's Tax Plan and His Company's State Contracts
Jackson's Tax Plan and His Company's State Contracts Jackson unveiled a five-point campaign action plan Tuesday proposing freezing property values and requiring public hearings and recorded votes before local governments raise property taxes, cutting the state income tax in half, freezing public college tuition, and creating what he calls an “intelligent” state Medicaid expansion model, according to WABE. The Georgia Chamber of Commerce added its own endorsement of Jackson on Wednesday, praising his private-sector experience and pledge to continue Gov. Kemp's economic security agenda, according to Rough Draft Atlanta, which noted the Chamber also highlighted his commitment to rural economic development and job creation.
Jackson is the founder and CEO of Alpharetta-based Jackson Healthcare, a $3 billion medical staffing firm operating in all 50 states, and often points to his childhood in Atlanta foster care as part of his campaign story, according to CBS News. Jackson has pledged to cancel his companies' state contracts if elected.
Bottoms' Rival Pitch to Latino Voters
Bottoms, a former Atlanta mayor, won the May Democratic primary with approximately 56% of the vote. Her campaign has centered on Medicaid expansion and targeted tax relief, setting up a direct contrast with Jackson's broader tax-cutting and deregulatory platform as both campaigns compete for the same economically anxious Latino electorate.
Nationally, conservative organizations have sought to engage Latino voters, while Georgia's Hispanic population continues to grow. Whether LIBRE's grassroots operation can meaningfully shift Latino turnout in competitive districts by November remains an open question for both campaigns.
