Republican Georgia governor candidate Rick Jackson has dropped two lawsuits against his former primary rival, Lt Gov Burt Jones, as pressure grows on the state’s political leaders over the continued deployment of more than 500 Georgia National Guard members to Washington DC.
Jackson withdrew a case challenging Jones’s use of a leadership committee, a fundraising vehicle that allows certain senior Georgia politicians to accept contributions beyond the limits imposed on ordinary campaign committees.
He also abandoned a defamation action accusing Jones of knowingly making false statements during the Republican primary. That case was dropped on September 11, while the fundraising lawsuit was withdrawn on Friday, September 18.
The moves come as Jackson attempts to consolidate Republican support before facing Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms in November’s gubernatorial election. Jones, who lost to Jackson in the June run-off, has not endorsed his former rival.
Jackson’s campaign spokesman, Garrison Douglas, said the nominee “is not looking backwards” and was focused on defeating Ms Bottoms and pursuing an agenda for Georgia.
A separate $100 million libel lawsuit brought by Jones’s family business, Jones Petroleum, against Jackson remains pending. The company alleges that Jackson made false and defamatory claims about it and its employees.
Calls for Georgia National Guard deployment to end
The legal developments coincide with a campaign by churches, advocacy organisations and Democratic state lawmakers calling on Governor Brian Kemp to end Georgia’s involvement in the Washington deployment and bring the remaining troops home.
The coalition has also written to Jackson and Ms Bottoms, urging them to set out their positions before the election. Both candidates have previously said they would review the mission if elected.
Its requests include greater transparency over the deployment’s duration, legal authority and operating instructions, as well as assurances that Georgia’s Guard remains available for hurricanes, severe weather and other emergencies.
The campaign is backed by state senator RaShaun Kemp and representatives Karen Lupton and Ruwa Romman, alongside a number of Georgia churches and faith organisations.
Governor Kemp announced Georgia’s initial participation in September 2025, when 316 Guard personnel were assigned to support a public safety operation in the capital. His office said at the time that the mission would not reduce the Guard’s ability to respond to emergencies in Georgia.
The coalition is also objecting to the use of National Guard personnel in domestic policing and to any military presence around elections. It says the continuing deployment raises questions about the role of the Guard and the precedent being set in Washington.
