ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) — Georgia voters will head to the polls Tuesday to elect their next governor in a tight race where neither candidate has emerged with a clear lead despite millions of dollars spent on the campaign trail.

Republican outsider Rick Jackson made a final campaign stop Monday at the Southwest Georgia Regional Airport in Albany, while Democratic opponent Keisha Lance Bottoms campaigned across north Georgia.

Reports show Jackson and his campaign have poured more than $200 million into the race, though the contest remains competitive.

“I think our people will come in,” Jackson said. “They need to understand how serious it is. And I don’t think anybody wants a mayor that has failed as much as she has because bad mayors don’t make good governors.”

Kemp endorses Jackson’s business background

Gov. Brian Kemp, Agriculture commissioner Tyler Harper and other state leaders joined Jackson in Albany. Gov. Kemp pitched the candidate as a businessman capable of continuing the state’s economic trajectory.

“I thank the Lord for political outsiders,” Kemp said. “He wants to keep us going on this path and bring his, you know, his footprint and his signature and his work ethic to what Governor Perdue, Governor Deal, and myself has done.”

Economic plans and budget concerns

Part of Jackson’s platform includes cutting state income taxes in half and freezing property taxes. Nonpartisan analysts at the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute warn that a 50% income tax reduction would use $8 billion from the state budget.

When asked how the state would absorb the revenue loss, Jackson pointed to economic growth rather than program cuts.

“My approach in business is that you can’t cut your way to prosperity,” Jackson said. “You have to grow yourself there. So creating the most jobs, bringing the most credit available for our agriculture and our timber industries and infrastructure. Infrastructure can be a very good driver of GDP just like it has been because it creates a lot of jobs. And when you create more revenue and GDP, we will cut some overhead, some inefficiencies.”

Gov. Kemp added that his office has been working with the General Assembly to responsibly bring tax relief.

“...but just about every single Democrat voted against property tax relief. And that is something you need to remember when you go vote,” he said.

Bottoms campaigns in north Georgia

Keisha Lance Bottoms, Jackson’s Democratic opponent, made campaign stops in north Georgia Monday, visiting Dalton, Athens, and Augusta.

Bottoms focused her final campaign events on suburban swing areas, college campuses, and the Democratic base across north Georgia.

She told supporters in Athens that reproductive rights, affordable housing, and access to healthcare depend directly on voter turnout Tuesday.

Polls across Georgia open Tuesday at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m.

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