Burt Jones putting the squeeze on top GOP rival Rick Jackson

But the aggressive push behind the bipartisan bill, which passed the Senate unanimously but failed to clear the House, underscores the lengths Jones and his allies are willing to go to hobble Jackson’s insurgent bid for governor.

The Senate approved a separate measure earlier this week to tighten Georgia’s procurement rules. The proposal had been pending for years, but suddenly gained traction as supporters noted it could block Jackson’s firm from bypassing the state’s normal competitive bidding requirements.

Jackson’s campaign claims it is further proof that the lieutenant governor is using his powerful post for political gain. Campaign spokesman Mike Schrimpf said Jones is “corruptly trying to keep his opponent off the ballot and using public office to benefit himself.”

“That’s exactly why Rick Jackson is running — to stand up for the Georgians who don’t have a voice at the Capitol and make government work for the people,” said Schrimpf.

But Jones cast the legislation as a fight against corruption. The lieutenant governor recently took the rare step of addressing the issue from the Senate floor, accusing Jackson’s company of being the “culprit” in rising health care costs and of “monopolizing” the industry.

And state Sen. Ben Watson, a physician and close Jones ally who chairs the Senate’s Health and Human Services Committee, said the legislation is about ensuring the state is “getting our money’s worth” for the work.

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

He said that when he raised concerns years ago about the “alarming” nature of Jackson’s 2020 no-bid contract to provide nurses to Georgia hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic, he was told that “nothing can be done.”

“The fox was in the henhouse,” Watson said. “This vendor had a green light to the state bank account, and nobody was watching.”

A big-money brawl

The back-and-forth was just the latest sign of the bad blood between the two rival camps, who have combined to spend more than $60 million pummeling each other on the airwaves.

Two House Republicans backing Jackson accused Jones in interviews with the AJC of bottling up their bills in retaliation for endorsing his GOP rival, amplifying Jackson’s claim that lawmakers fear political blowback if they are seen crossing the lieutenant governor.

State Rep. Steven Sainz of St. Marys said two bipartisan measures he sponsored that had passed the House unanimously mysteriously stalled in the Senate after he endorsed Jackson.

“There’s never a wrong time to do the right thing,” Sainz said, blaming Jones for the freeze. “If he wants to put politics over policy, that’s up to him.”

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

State Rep. Brent Cox said his proposal to protect high school athletes from predatory name, image and likeness contracts was frozen after he backed Jackson. He said lawmakers are being “pressured to surrender their honor at the feet of one’s ambition.”

Jackson said on the campaign trail that it was just a taste of the pushback his supporters are facing under the Gold Dome.

He said he’s even intentionally avoided asking lawmakers for endorsements because he’s been told his supporters could face reprisals.

Jones’ spokeswoman, Kayla Lott, said the lieutenant governor remains focused on legislating, not campaign shenanigans.

“The self-proclaimed outsider is actually a Liz Cheney-supporting insider who pocketed over $930 million in taxpayer dollars,” Lott said. “No amount of money can hide the truth about Rick Jackson.”