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Ted Cruz backs Rick Jackson and Alan Wilson in Georgia and South Carolina GOP gubernatorial runoffs
The Apex Times

THE APEX TIMES

Politics/The Apex Times/Jun 16, 8:52 PM EDT

Ted Cruz backs Rick Jackson and Alan Wilson in Georgia and South Carolina GOP gubernatorial runoffs

The Texas senator is supporting two candidates in the June 2026 Republican runoff elections who, according to reporting, were not backed by President Donald Trump.

2 min readEditor-approved Apex article

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has endorsed candidates in the upcoming Republican runoff elections for governor in Georgia and South Carolina, backing Georgia billionaire Rick Jackson over Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and supporting South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson over the lieutenant governor in that state’s runoff, The Hill reported on June 16, 2026.

The endorsements report a split within the Republican Party’s federal-state alliance, because The Hill said the two Cruz-backed candidates were not endorsed by President Donald Trump ahead of the runoffs. The Georgia runoff centers on the governor’s race between Jackson and Jones, according to the reporting.

In South Carolina, Cruz is backing Wilson, who serves as the state’s attorney general, in a separate Republican runoff for governor, The Hill reported. The report describes Wilson as the choice over the lieutenant governor candidate in that contest.

Cruz’s endorsements come as senators and other national Republicans increasingly use their influence to shape down-ballot outcomes in states where the general election could hinge on runoff results. Cruz’s involvement would be expected to affect state party messaging and fundraising efforts tied to the governor’s races.

The governor’s offices in both states carry broad control over state budget priorities, regulatory decisions, and executive branch enforcement across areas including public safety policy, state-level economic regulation, and administration of state programs. The two races are therefore closely watched in terms of how the next governors might handle state spending and implementation of executive priorities.

For voters, the practical effect of the Cruz endorsements will depend on turnout and the degree to which state campaigns incorporate national surrogates. The runoff elections themselves will determine the final nominee for each state’s general election contest.

A change in governor-level leadership would also affect how each state interacts with federal agencies on compliance matters, implementation of federal requirements, and coordination on issues governed jointly by federal and state law, though the specific policy differences between the candidates were not detailed in the reporting cited by The Hill.

Why It Matters

  • The Cruz endorsements reflect a potential intra-party split in how national Republican figures align with state candidates ahead of runoff elections.
  • Governor nominees can influence state budget priorities and regulatory administration, with downstream effects on areas such as public safety enforcement and state program implementation.
  • Because the runoffs determine the final Republican nominees, the endorsements could shape campaign dynamics going into the general election phase.
  • If different candidates prevail in the runoffs, each state’s executive priorities and approach to federal-state coordination could diverge starting next term.

Sources

Key Facts

  • U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz endorsed candidates in Georgia and South Carolina Republican gubernatorial runoffs, The Hill reported on June 16, 2026.
  • In Georgia, Cruz backed Rick Jackson over Lt. Gov. Burt Jones in the governor’s race runoff.
  • In South Carolina, Cruz backed Attorney General Alan Wilson over the lieutenant governor in that governor’s race runoff, The Hill reported.
  • The Hill reported that the Cruz-backed candidates did not have President Donald Trump’s endorsement ahead of the runoffs.
Ted Cruz backs Rick Jackson and Alan Wilson in Georgia and South Carolina GOP gubernatorial runoffs | The Apex Times