Hey folks, how are you today? I’m your host, BKP, and it is incredibly good to be back here with you in Studio A.
Before we dive into the meat of today’s show, I always like to take a second to say hello to what I affectionately call “the uglies” out there. You know who you are. This political season is rapidly approaching the runoff election. In fact, early voting for the Georgia Republican primary runoff kicks off on Monday, June 8th, runs through June 12th, and Election Day lands on June 16th. Let me tell you what: it is heating up. Summer is almost here, the weather is hot, and tempers out there are getting even hotter. People are getting really worked up, and I just wish there weren’t so many ugly, nasty attacks. I was talking to a good friend this morning and asked, Why can’t we just have intellectual conversations concerning our elections? But apparently, we can’t.
A quick bit of housekeeping: I’m dealing with some really inflamed tendons in my wrist that are causing me a bit of a problem. I wanted to put that out there so nobody wonders what’s going on with me, but I’m okay. Thank you very much for your concern. Also, go fill up your gas tanks ASAP! Georgia’s 33-cent gas tax suspension ends on Wednesday. Right now, as we come to you on a Tuesday, we have not heard that Governor Brian Kemp is going to extend it any further. That 33 cents is huge—I just got back from the great Sunshine State of Florida, and looking at other states, you need to take advantage of this while you can.
Now, let’s get down to business.
The Tale of “No-Show” Jackson
The Republican candidate for governor, Rick Jackson, refused to show up for the Atlanta Press Club debate. I’m officially calling him “No-Show Jackson.”
Instead of standing before the voters, he was represented by a lonely, empty podium standing right next to Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones. Now, we are going to cover this in great detail because the online arguments over whether Jackson should have attended are getting pretty ugly. You have his paid internet trolls making excuses, trying to say, “Well, Donald Trump didn’t attend debates!” We are going to completely dismantle that argument.
I’ve also heard people online scoff, “Wow, it’s the Atlanta Press Club, big deal.” Look, I know they aren’t the most hard-hitting journalists and they rarely throw tough political curveballs, but Atlanta Press Club debates are a time-honored tradition in Georgia elections. Rick Jackson chose to skip it, and we need to talk about exactly why that is a massive deal.
A debate can completely alter a race. Look at California right now. If this guy, Spencer Pratt—a Republican running for the mayor’s office out there—makes it into the top two for a runoff today against Mayor Karen Bass or someone else, he is going to fundamentally change politics.
Historically, a debate can break a mold and change politics forever. I thought Ronald Reagan might have been the only one to change politics in my lifetime. Then Barack Obama came along and changed it historically. But the guy who truly broke the mold and completely altered politics in 2016 was Donald Trump. I thought, “This is it, no one else is going to come along in my lifetime and change politics again.”
But then you look at Spencer Pratt. The way he has utilized AI in his campaign, and the massive difference his debate performance against Karen Bass and the other candidates made—it was an absolute campaign-changing event. He is actively changing politics, maybe even taking it to a level over and above what Donald Trump did. It proves that a single debate can change everything.
Keep in mind what we are doing here today: we are discussing politics and figuring out the absolute best tactics for Republicans to win in November against a very strong Democrat ticket led by Senator Jon Ossoff. I did not create the political system we are dealing with, but I want to win the governor’s race. That is my main focus in Georgia.
The Power of the Visual
While Jackson was playing hooky, he held a highly controlled campaign event up in Kennesaw alongside Florida U.S. Senator Rick Scott and conservative commentator Martha Zoller. His camp wants you to ask, Who gives a rip? What’s the big deal?
Let me tell you why it’s a big deal. Out of all the down-ballot races taking place on Sunday and Monday, almost everyone showed up. We only had about three empty podiums. A Democrat didn’t show up for the Congressional District 1 debate (which doesn’t matter because Republican Jim Kingston will ultimately secure that region). A Democrat didn’t show up for the Insurance Commissioner debate against John King. And then we had the governor’s race.
Think about that. A $100 million candidate chose an orchestrated campaign stunt over facing the voters. Burt Jones absolutely won the day. He stood next to that empty podium, answered questions from the moderator and two panelists for 30 minutes, and got his face everywhere. Meanwhile, Jackson’s team is already trying to run a dirty campaign by taking the 28 minutes Burt Jones spent respectfully answering questions and chopping the footage up to spin their own narrative.
If you don’t think debates matter, let’s look at history. Can a debate completely change a race?
Joe Biden vs. Donald Trump: No debate in modern American history has had a more catastrophic impact on a campaign. Joe Biden literally dropped out because of a debate!
JFK vs. Richard Nixon (1960): The very first televised debate. Viewers watched Richard Nixon sweat and wipe his brow under the studio lights. The visuals changed history.
Ronald Reagan vs. Jimmy Carter (1980): Reagan looked right into the camera and asked, “Are you better off than you were four years ago?” He also hit Carter with the legendary, “There you go again.”
Ronald Reagan vs. Walter Mondale (1984): When asked about his age, Reagan famously promised not to exploit his opponent’s “youth and inexperience,” making even Mondale laugh.
Lloyd Bentsen vs. Dan Quayle (1988): Bentsen brutally looked at Quayle and said, “Senator, I served with Jack Kennedy. I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was my friend. Senator, you’re no Jack Kennedy.”
Rick Perry’s “Oops” Moment (2011): Governor Rick Perry confidently said he would eliminate three federal agencies, named Commerce and Education, completely blanked on the third, and muttered, “Oops.” His presidential run was effectively over.
George H.W. Bush (1992): He simply looked down at his watch during a debate. The media tore him apart, saying he looked bored and couldn’t wait to leave.
Al Gore (2000): Gore sighed loudly into his microphone while George W. Bush was answering questions, making himself look incredibly arrogant.
Donald Trump (2016): Trump completely changed the debate landscape. When Megyn Kelly confronted him about calling women fat pigs and dogs, he leaned into the mic with a smirk and said, “Only Rosie O’Donnell.” He branded Jeb Bush as “low energy.” By the way, while Trump was dismantling Jeb Bush on stage, remember that Rick Jackson pumped half a million dollars into Jeb Bush’s campaign against Trump.
Hillary Clinton vs. Donald Trump: Clinton attacked his temperament, saying it’s good he isn’t in charge of the law, and Trump fired back, “Because you’d be in jail.”
Vivek Ramaswamy vs. Nikki Haley (2024): Vivek absolutely took it to Nikki Haley, calling her corrupt. And guess who was bankrolling Haley’s campaign to go after Donald Trump? Rick Jackson.
Visuals matter. The evolutionary psychology of height and dominance plays a massive role on a debate stage. When candidates stand next to each other, voters subconsciously compare their physical stature. Taller candidates have an ingrained advantage, winning the popular vote in approximately 67% of U.S. presidential elections.
There’s also the power of nonverbal cues. Dr. Albert Mehrabian, a pioneer in communication research, found that when a person’s words and body language contradict, the audience believes the body language. His studies showed that communication is 55% nonverbal (facial expressions, gestures, posture), 33% vocal (pitch, tone), and only 7% the actual words spoken! In a split-screen debate format, viewers pick up on every eye-roll, smirk, blink rate, and nervous tic.
During the very first debate, when the camera zoomed in, Burt Jones won the visual contest handily. Rick Jackson had to stare down at his cue cards to fumble through his answers. He couldn’t even look at the camera for his opening and closing statements. Jackson’s campaign team knows the psychological research. They absolutely could not allow a side-by-side visual of Burt Jones and Rick Jackson on Monday.
Debunking the Excuses
So, why did Rick Jackson hold a controlled rally instead of debating? Let’s dismantle the excuses right now.
Excuse 1: “Donald Trump didn’t debate!” This is called the frontrunner calculus. If a candidate is significantly ahead in the polls, their primary goal is to run out the clock without making a mistake. Stepping onto a debate stage offers very little upside when your supporters are already locked in. Donald Trump skipped the 2024 GOP primary debates because he had a commanding lead. But here in Georgia, Burt Jones won the first primary vote by over 5.5%. Burt Jones is the frontrunner, not Rick Jackson. Furthermore, Donald Trump has formally endorsed Burt Jones, not Rick Jackson. That “Trump didn’t debate” excuse simply won’t hunt here.
Excuse 2: Starving the Challenger of Oxygen Sometimes a frontrunner won’t share the stage because it elevates a lesser-known underdog to equal footing. Again, Jackson isn’t the frontrunner, so this doesn’t apply to him.
Excuse 3: Biased Moderators Some candidates claim the network or host is biased. But Jackson’s team didn’t pull out over the rules.
Excuse 4: Return on Investment Jackson’s paid trolls want you to believe it was a better “return on investment” for his campaign time to hold a rally. The truth? Jackson’s team knows that it would take three to five days just to try and properly prepare Jackson for a debate that they would not have control over. They would not be able to control the environment, control the mic, or manage the room. Because he is not debate-ready and relies entirely on reading cue cards, they opted for a highly controlled campaign-style rally. And that’s where his campaign trolls are out there spinning the narrative—trying to tell you he was better off talking to voters at a rally in Kennesaw than being on a live debate stage they simply couldn’t control.
Excuse 5: “We invited Burt Jones to debate on June 14th!” Stop showing your ignorance online. Yes, Team Jackson set up a debate with Atlanta News First for June 14th. Do you know why? Because early voting runs from June 8th to June 12th! We understand Atlanta News First tried to get Jackson to debate on the 8th, but his team turned it down. They intentionally scheduled a debate for two days after early voting closes because they do not want the majority of voters to see the real Rick Jackson on a stage before they cast their ballots!
The “Bubble Candidate” Nightmare
Here is the deepest, truest reason that podium was empty: Rick Jackson is a Bubble Candidate.
In today’s media environment, a campaign can heavily manufacture a candidate’s image. They use teleprompters, tightly scripted stump speeches, heavily edited social media spots, and friendly podcast interviews to maintain absolute control. But a live debate is the one environment where that control completely evaporates.
Exposing a heavily managed candidate on a debate stage is a campaign manager’s absolute worst nightmare. Their handlers are banished to the spin room for 90 minutes. There is nobody to cut the microphone, redirect a hostile question, or slide him a cheat sheet. If a candidate freezes or short-circuits on a follow-up question, the bubble bursts. It confirms the voters’ worst fear: an empty suit narrative. It proves the candidate isn’t actually in charge—their staff is.
What is Jackson hiding? Well, let me just give you the facts. Maybe he didn’t want Burt Jones to ask him about the massive fraud settlement with the Department of Justice involving his company. In early 2024, Jackson & Coker LocumTenens, LLC—a subsidiary under the Jackson Healthcare umbrella—agreed to pay $700,000 to resolve False Claims Act liability. Why? Because they were embroiled in a telemedicine kickback scheme targeting Medicare beneficiaries. Jackson & Coker had retained a doctor who was electronically rubber-stamping orders for unnecessary durable medical equipment and diagnostic testing. This doctor was signing these orders without ever treating or even speaking to the patients, enabling a fraudulent system to bill Medicare.
Jackson & Coker ultimately had to cooperate, pay the $700,000, and implement internal controls. Now, Rick Jackson knows Burt Jones would be standing just feet away, ready to immediately dismantle his heavily coached talking points with hard facts like this.
Remember Jackson’s previous debate performance? When asked a simple question about whether he had illegal immigrants working for him now or in the past, he stuttered repeatedly, “I don’t know... I don’t know... I don’t know.” If I were Burt Jones, I would play that clip on a loop. That is why the podium was empty yesterday.
Kemp’s Finger on the Scale?
We always have to look for clues to see if Governor Brian Kemp has his thumb on the scale in these races. Since Governor Brian Kemp is busy campaigning with Derek Dooley for U.S. Senate, he has to be careful not to look like he’s interfering. But we have clues.
First, look at Chris Carr. The Kemps really like Attorney General Chris Carr, but they couldn’t see a pathway for him to win the governor’s nomination. During the first debate, Carr and Jackson launched a clearly rehearsed, coordinated attack on Burt Jones, with Carr threatening to open an investigation. Shortly after failing to win the primary, Carr turned right around and endorsed Jackson.
Your second clue is Martha Zoller. Martha worked for Governor Kemp, worked for David Perdue, and was appointed to the State Board of Education by Brian Kemp. She gave Rick Jackson his first major, soft-ball interview when he launched his campaign. Up until this runoff, she’s been sitting on The Georgia Gang on Sundays, pretending to be a neutral political commentator. Yet yesterday, there she was in Kennesaw wearing a Rick Jackson campaign badge. We don’t know if she’s currently on his payroll or if she’s been promised a job in his administration, but it certainly proves she is no neutral bystander. Jackson is a smooth operator looking to push priority legislation for himself, his son Shane, and Jackson Healthcare. He isn’t some political outsider.
Now, we’re not totally sure, but it just looks a little bit like where there’s smoke, there might be fire. You add all of this up, and it certainly looks like Kemp’s finger might be on the scale in this race.
The Down-Ballot Rundown
Let’s quickly look at the other races, because almost all of these candidates recognized the importance of debating.
U.S. Senate (GOP): Mike Collins vs. Derek Dooley. Look, I have deep respect for the family of Laken Riley, but Mike Collins isn’t going to beat Jon Ossoff just by reminding us he authored two pieces of legislation signed by two presidents (like the Laken Riley Act). He has to get much more aggressive. On the flip side, Derek Dooley actually held his own. He proved he could debate, think quickly on his feet, and campaign without needing Brian Kemp to hold his hand.
Secretary of State (GOP): Tim Fleming vs. Vernon Jones. Tim Fleming, the top vote-getter, showed up and rightfully pointed out that Vernon Jones is a former liberal Democrat from DeKalb County who didn’t even vote for Donald Trump in 2016. Vernon Jones is a smooth talker who can handle a TV camera, but I will say this loud and clear: if Vernon Jones is the nominee, he will drag the entire Republican ticket down. Look up the website The Real Vernon Jones—it lists all the accusations, the liberal history, the DEI support, and more.
Lieutenant Governor (GOP): Greg Dolezal vs. John Kennedy. Greg Dolezal is a fantastic debater and a master at dialing into voters’ emotions on social media. However, he is currently hurting from a leaked video where he made negative comments about a lieutenant governor being from South Georgia. That video is firing up South Georgia voters against him, and in a runoff election, getting your base back out to vote is everything.
The Democrats to Watch: You need to pay attention to the Democrats in this runoff to know what we are up against. Look at the Lt. Governor race with Josh McLaurin. He is an incredibly sharp guy—he was actually J.D. Vance’s roommate at Harvard. During his debate, he was smart enough to compliment Governor Kemp and acknowledge that he’ll have to work across the aisle with a Republican-majority Senate. On the Secretary of State side, keep your eyes on Penny Brown Reynolds. You do not want her overseeing Georgia’s elections. We have to get our GOP nominees right so we can beat these Democrats in November.
Other Races: In the 11th Congressional District, Rob Atkinson is facing off against John Cowan. Cowan has a commanding lead, but Rob Atkinson would absolutely be my pick if I lived in the 11th. Down in Fulton County, Rob Pitts is running for Commission Chair again, and let me tell you, the guy just looks old and tired.
Even the candidates for Labor Commissioner and the District 5 Public Service Commission had the respect to show up for their debates. But not Rick Jackson.
Rick Jackson wants you to make your decision based on 30-second TV commercials, text messages, and staged photo ops. He does not want you to see the real candidate.
Alright folks, remember, you are always welcome on all of our platforms—Substack, Facebook, X. You can comment, you can debate, you can even completely disagree with me. But if you’re just going to be a nasty troll, we aren’t putting up with it. We are here for serious political debate.
I’m your host, BKP. We are going to take a brief break, and I’ll see you right back here soon.
Just another Nugget of Truth with BKP.
