“When you elect Brian Jack, you’re going to have a great representative here,” Lake said to a crowd of about 125 in Columbus. “And when you elect President Trump on Nov. 5, we’re going to start making America great again.”

Trump also promoted Jack as a future “fantastic congressman” in between fielding questions about Arizona’s abortion ban and the Fulton County election interference case as he arrived in Atlanta for a fundraiser earlier this month.

Jack’s deep Washington connections have opened him to attacks that he’s a creature of the Capitol funded by out-of-state interests. An Atlanta Journal-Constitution analysis showed about 80% of Jack’s itemized contributions came from outside Georgia. His rivals, meanwhile, took most of their hauls from in-state donors.

“One dollar from Georgia speaks louder to me than $100 from D.C. insiders,” said Crane, whose notable support includes an endorsement from U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and the Frost family, prominent players in west Georgia conservative politics.

‘A real shot?’

But Crane and the others have had to strike a tricky balance as they strive to paint Jack as a swampy conservative while avoiding chastising Trump.

At one conservative forum, Singleton blamed Jack for the White House’s pushback on Gov. Brian Kemp for “opening Georgia during COVID” without mentioning it was Trump who initiated those attacks.

And though the race is likely to head to a June 18 runoff between Jack and another rival, longtime Republicans say the dynamics are volatile.

“If money and endorsements win the race, it’s going to Brian,” said former U.S. Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, who represented parts of the territory in Congress for six terms. “If it’s a grassroots-driven race, the others have a real shot.”

That’s what Jack’s rivals are hoping. Crane is focusing on outreach to evangelical supporters. Dugan is concentrating on retail politicking and can claim a share of credit for dozens of GOP policies passed during his stint as a Senate leader.

Singleton, a former U.S. Army helicopter pilot, emphasizes his more pugilistic side. Even before he ran for office, he was a vocal critic of then-state House speaker David Ralston and other GOP leaders he considered too moderate. His defiance led Republicans to draw him out of his Sharpsburg-based state House district in 2021, a move he wears as a badge of honor now.

“The message is simply that Washington is broken, but the country is not,” Singleton said. “We’re the only candidate that has a record that’s proven over and over again — and the only candidate willing to take the arrows against bad policy.”

With little reliable polling in the district, Brass said the race may come down to “word of mouth.” Westmoreland, too, said the personal touch might wind up the difference-maker.

“The retail politics in that district really does matter,” Westmoreland said. “It’s still a place where you have to go, shake hands and kiss babies.”

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