Jason T. Dickerson and keffiyeh-clad brother still attacking GOP opponents
A growing rift with conservative voters threatens a deep red Senate seat.
ATLANTA — Georgia Republicans got their new “Million Dollar Man” after Jason T. Dickerson edged out MAGA-aligned Steve West by just 65 votes in the August 26th special election.
Despite spending close to seven figures of his personal wealth, for a job that only pays $17,000 per year, Mr. Dickerson secured just 17.5% of the vote. Those numbers have some party leaders worried about a potential embarrassment in Tuesday’s runoff election.
“That amount of money in a State Senate race is unheard of in Georgia. To get just 17.5% tells me he is a very weak candidate or he ran a lousy campaign. In fact, I’ve heard it’s both,” said one longtime Republican strategist.
Election watchers say Dickerson benefitted from a combination of immense family wealth, a fractured conservative voter base, and a special election that saw extremely low turnout. But Jason and his brother’s antics have caused a major rift among Cherokee’s more conservative voters, with many saying they will sit this election out and wait for a better option in May of 2026.
Dickerson’s camp is undeterred by those concerns, citing the blank check he has written for the campaign. They say he will spend whatever it takes to win and they expect their former foes to get in line or face the consequences. Their message to Cherokee’s conservative stalwarts whom they’ve dubbed the Good ole Boys? “There’s a new sheriff in town.”
That sentiment would explain the campaign’s continued attacks on former opponents Steve West and Brian Will even after they conceded. We spoke with a number of voters who expressed frustration with Dickerson and his kaffeyih-clad brother, who continues to relentlessly attack West and harass his supporters online.
“So Jason just expects us to hold our noses and vote for him in Round 2 while his brother goes around calling Steve West and his supporters pieces of sh*t? Not gonna happen. He can’t just buy our votes, he’s got to earn them.” said one voter who sparred with Dickerson online.
At least one former candidate, Brian Will, is speaking out. Will publicly rebuked Dickerson with a scathing statement on his personal Facebook page where he had this to say:
“The candidate who won this race is not who he says he is… Most of what he said in his campaign were straight up lies, and the things that he said he was going to do were all false…
My favorite line is when people say ….he is the lesser of two evils. Every single one of these people calling me have told me they don’t like him (100% of them) and they can’t believe he won and that he is not a good candidate.
I’m sorry, but that race showed such a lack of moral and ethical character on the part of several of these candidates, (not all) … including the winner… that there is no way I could vote for that person, nor could I support him.
So for clarity - I will not lie to the public and tell them that this candidate is the right person for the job …because he is not.
The squabble has even made its way to the GOP cocktail circuit in Atlanta, where Senators John Albers and Shawn Still recently hosted a soirée with Dickerson in attendance. Sources we spoke with who were at the event said Republican power brokers are already discussing plans in the event Shigley pulls off an upset win on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Dickerson and his supporters are apparently undeterred. We received a copy of a text that went out to voters on Tuesday taking another swipe at West and Will.
Meanwhile, Democrat Debra Shigley still faces an uphill climb. With Republican turnout expected to dominate the runoff, most experts say she’ll need a political miracle to pull off an upset.
For now, though, all eyes are on Jason T. Dickerson — and whether the more moderate Republican can persuade enough MAGA loyalists to turn out for him on election day.