‘Deported or Departed’: Rick Jackson’s Controversial Ad Blitz Dominates Georgia GOP Primary

Republican gubernatorial hopeful Rick Jackson has flooded Georgia airwaves, streaming platforms and social media with a series of hardline campaign ads — the most notable promising that unauthorized immigrants who commit violent crimes will be "deported or departed." The ads, running for weeks, have sharpened an already bitter Republican primary as early voting approaches.

"I don’t care if you’re a Muslim or a Mongolian, you don’t have the right to force your culture on our country. Too often, criminal illegals commit sick, violent crimes, victimize our children and get away with murder. So here’s my guarantee to them: do that when I’m governor, and you’ll end up deported or departed. Any questions?"

The spot evokes imagery linked to the 2023 murder of college nursing student Laken Riley and has been compared to a Willie Horton–style appeal — a tactic that emphasizes crime to stoke fear of political opponents or demographic groups. Advocates and critics say the ad traffics in xenophobic and inflammatory rhetoric; Jackson’s campaign says it is focused on public safety.

Campaign Posture and Spending
Jackson, a billionaire founder and CEO of a medical staffing firm, entered the race late — announcing in February that he would spend up to $30 million to win the Republican nomination. He has publicly pledged loyalty to former President Donald Trump and argues his personal wealth insulates him from political pressure, enabling a broad, high-frequency ad campaign across multiple platforms.

Policy Attacks Featured in Ads
In one commercial Jackson vows to "criminalize reverse discrimination," a phrase aimed at addressing affirmative-action debates even though federal law already bars race-based discrimination in employment and housing. Georgia remains one of the few states without a comprehensive state-level statute explicitly banning private-sector employment discrimination on the basis of race — an omission that civil-rights groups have long criticized.

In another ad he labels gender-affirming care for minors "mutilation, irreversible," and the spot cuts to footage of a child on a gurney surrounded by medical staff. Jackson declares: "Those who would change a child’s gender to alter their sex won’t just face the administrative fines of today. As governor, I’ll put them in jail." Georgia law already prohibits gender reassignment surgery for people under 18 and bars the prescription of puberty blockers to minors under legislation enacted in 2023.

Rift With Lt. Gov. Burt Jones
Jackson’s late entry and aggressive spending have intensified a bruising primary with Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones, who had Trump’s endorsement and led early polls. Jones drew national attention for his role in the so-called "fake elector" scheme after the 2020 election and served as Trump’s chief campaign lieutenant in Georgia during 2024.

The campaign has turned increasingly acrimonious: Jones pushed legislation to bar individuals with state health-care contracts from running for office, a move widely seen as aimed at Jackson, whose firms have held state contracts. Jones has accused Jackson of profiting from roughly $1 billion in state contracts and alleged that one of Jackson’s companies, Locum Tenens, "recruited for Planned Parenthood" and helped facilitate transgender procedures — charges Jackson says are false.

Legal Battles
Jackson has responded with legal action. In February he sued to challenge a state law that allows Jones to chair a leadership committee able to raise and spend unlimited contributions while Jackson remains bound by traditional fundraising limits. After Jones publicized attacks on Jackson’s health-care businesses, Jackson filed a defamation suit calling those allegations untrue.

The two candidates are scheduled to debate on April 27 ahead of the Republican primary on May 19.