A campaign ad from Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson pledging that unauthorized immigrants committing violent crimes will end up “deported or departed” has inundated streaming services and social media in Georgia for weeks.

“I don’t care if you’re a Muslim or a Mongolian, you don’t have the right to force your culture on our country,” the Jackson ad begins. “Too often, criminal illegals commit sick, violent crimes, victimize our children and get away with murder. So here’s my guarantee to them: do that when I’m governor, and you’ll end up deported or departed. Any questions?”

The ad, which taps imagery of the murderer of college nursing student Laken Riley in a Willie Horton-esque turn, typifies the tenor of the contest facing Republican voters two weeks before early voting begins in Georgia.

Pledging fealty to Donald Trump and arguing that his wealth insulates him from politics, Jackson has been flooding Georgia’s media markets – broadcast, social media and streaming – with campaign advertisements.

In one ad, the billionaire and CEO of a medical staffing firm pledges to “criminalize reverse discrimination” in Georgia. While federal law prohibits discrimination in housing and employment, Georgia is notably one of only a few states that does not have a comprehensive state-level law banning private sector employment racial discrimination against any race, a problem that civil rights activists have wanted to change for generations.

In another, he describes gender-affirming care for transgender children as “mutilation, irreversible” while showing a child on a gurney being wheeled down a hospital hallway flanked by doctors and nurses. “Those who would change a child’s gender to alter their sex won’t just face the administrative fines of today. As governor, I’ll put them in jail.”

Gender reassignment surgery cannot legally be performed in Georgia to someone under 18 years old, nor can puberty blockers be administered, under a state law passed in 2023.

Jackson entered the gubernatorial race relatively late, announcing in February that he would spend $30m to win the nomination. His entry derailed expectations, particularly for lieutenant governor Burt Jones, who had Trump’s endorsement and a lead in polls at the time.

Jones briefly drew notice in the Trump criminal case for his involvement in the so-called “fake elector” scheme, and served as Trump’s chief campaign lieutenant in Georgia in the 2024 election.

The campaign has turned ugly between the two Republicans. On the last day of the legislative session last week, Jones pushed a bill to bar anyone with healthcare contracts with state government from running for public office, directly targeting Jackson. Jones has accused Jackson of profiting from state contracts worth $1bn and that one of his firms, Locum Tenens, profited by “recruiting for Planned Parenthood” and “helping doctors perform transgender procedures on minors”.

In February, Jackson filed a lawsuit challenging a state law that allows Jones to chair a leadership committee that can raise and spend unlimited contributions for his gubernatorial campaign, while Jackson remains bound by traditional fundraising caps. After Jones began attacking Jackson’s healthcare businesses, Jackson filed a defamation lawsuit, describing Jones’s accusations as a lie.

The two are set to debate on 27 April before the primary election on 19 May.