A billionaire health care executive competing to be the Republican Party’s nominee for Georgia governor says his company helped keep the state afloat when agreed to provide nurses to Georgia hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since that no-bid contract was signed in 2020, subsidiaries of Rick Jackson’s Alpharetta-based company Jackson Healthcare have received more than $1 billion in payments by state agencies. But Jackson says if he is elected, those business dealings will all stop.
Jackson’s campaign said Jackson Healthcare will not bid on any new contracts with the state of Georgia and will “work to responsibly unwind any existing contracts.”
The statement comes as Jackson’s opponents were hoping to use his reliance on state contracts to keep his campaign from going any further.
A bill moving through Georgia’s House of Representatives is pushing to bar anyone with big business with the state from holding office. If passed, that bill could knock health care CEO Rick Jackson out of the race for the state’s top job.
Jackson reordered the Republican primary race when he announced his campaign in early February, challenging Lt. Gov. Burt Jones for MAGA-loyal voters.
The health care executive has billed himself as a political outsider who does not need the governor’s seat for money or for power. Jackson pledged to spend $50 million of his own money on his campaign and has not reported any contributions otherwise.
Roughly $40 million of that has gone toward political ads that recount a rags-to-riches story and portray him as a straight shooter with nothing to lose. Jackson touts himself as a supporter of President Donald Trump, boasting that he donated $1 million to the president in December.
His appeals to the MAGA voter base pose a threat for Jones, who was endorsed by Trump months ago and was considered the front-runner to take the May 19 Republican primary. Jones has called Jackson a “Never Trumper” and fought to maintain his key voter base.
House Bill 1362, which was filed within weeks of Jackson’s campaign announcement, could prevent him from being in the contest at all. It would make anyone ineligible to hold certain state offices if they “transact any business” with a state or federal agency. Any individual transaction over $250 or transactions that total over $9,000 in a year fall within the legislative proposal.
The bill would also make anyone ineligible who has a financial interest — whether directly or indirectly — in a company that holds a state contract. That includes holding more than 3% of the total proprietary interest of the company or 25% of its stock holdings.
Pressed on how he would handle state contracts if elected, Jackson said he would follow whatever rules are on the books.
“Whatever the law says we’re going to do, we’re going to do. We do everything by the book,” he said.
In a statement, Jackson’s campaign spokesperson, Mike Schrimpf, said Jackson Healthcare gets hired for state contracts “because they do great work.”
“Rick doesn’t need to the job or the money from the state,” Schrimpf said. “He has pledged to donate 100% of his net worth to charity. He’s running for governor to give back to Georgia and fight for all those without a voice at the Capitol. It will cost him millions of dollars, but Georgia is worth it to Rick.”
Jackson Healthcare is a medical technology and staffing company that helps connect hospitals with nurses, physicians and other health professionals. In 2020, it inked a contract with the state to relieve some of the pressure Georgia hospitals were feeling amid the coronavirus pandemic.
According to Jackson’s campaign website, Gov. Brian Kemp called him directly to help with the supply of doctors and nurses.
The company agreed to provide nurses and extra hospital staff that the state would pay for. Because of the public health state of emergency, state officials agreed to the contract without taking bids from any other staffing agencies.
Since, Jackson Healthcare subsidiaries Healthcare Workforce Logistics, Jackson & Coker and Locum Tenens have received millions.
In 2025 alone, Jackson Healthcare subsidiaries received more than $56 million from the Georgia departments of Behavioral Health, Community Health and Corrections. Jackson Healthcare reports more than $3 billion annually in income, a figure that includes all its revenue sources.
Meanwhile, Jackson called Jones’ means of funding his own campaign into question with a lawsuit. The federal complaint challenged Jones’ ability to fund his gubernatorial run through a leadership committee, which is a fundraising committee that can raise unlimited funds and is available only to the governor, lieutenant governor and legislative leadership.
A U.S. district court judge imposed a temporary restraining order stopping the political committee from funding Jones’ campaign. The judge also ordered it to cancel media advertisements it had already bought.
About the Author
Keep Reading
The Latest
Featured
