ATLANTA — Republican gubernatorial nominee Rick Jackson on Friday signaled his interest in leveraging state resources to keep Invest Fest, one of Atlanta’s major annual financial literacy and entrepreneurship events, rooted in Georgia, as part of a broader push to expand his appeal among Black voters.0
In a post on social media site X late Friday, Jackson praised the event’s track record and economic impact after five years in the state.
Georgia GOP Candidate Rick Jackson Courts Invest Fest
“The world just witnessed what was possible in Georgia when the state works with its local partners to ensure important events are able to be held safely and to the benefit of our economy,” Jackson wrote. “Invest Fest has proven for five years to be of great benefit to not just those who attend and learn how to start or grow a business, but also to the local vendors who feed, house, and support our visitors from across the country. I would be very interested in learning how, as governor, the state would be able to work to help keep Invest Fest here in Georgia.”
Invest Fest is returning to Atlanta for a sixth year but that its long-term future in the city is uncertain.
Invest Fest, organized by the Earn Your Leisure platform founded by Rashad Bilal and Troy Millings, is scheduled for Aug. 7-9 at the Georgia World Congress Center.
Read up on Invest Fest: What to know about the Atlanta event.
The three-day event blends investing education, entrepreneurship panels, a large vendor marketplace, performances and networking, drawing tens of thousands of attendees focused on wealth-building, real estate, crypto, AI, stocks and business growth. It has become a significant draw for Black entrepreneurs and professionals.
Jackson’s comments come amid recent public friction between the event’s organizers and city leadership. In a recent interview, Bilal and Millings said Atlanta had not provided the level of support they expected over the years and acknowledged they had “flirted with the idea” of moving the conference, while emphasizing its grassroots roots and economic value.
Mayor Andre Dickens pushed back against the criticism, defending the city’s record of supporting Black businesses and announcing a $50,000 investment in organizations that mentor young creatives.
Jackson, a self-made healthcare staffing billionaire who rose from foster care and Atlanta public housing, won the GOP nomination in a June runoff after defeating Trump-endorsed Lt. Gov. Burt Jones. He faces former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, the Democratic nominee, in the Nov. 3 general election.
The Invest Fest statement fits a pattern of deliberate outreach by Jackson’s campaign to Black voters, a traditionally Democratic-leaning bloc in Georgia. Shortly after securing the nomination, one of his early stops was at Barber’s Inc. on Old National Highway in College Park, a majority-Black city, where he met with dozens of residents.
Georgia Governor candidate Rick Jackson visits soul food spot on Old National Highway.
Attendees said Jackson discussed improving access to capital for Black business owners and expressed openness to grants and loans targeted at Black entrepreneurs. His campaign later clarified that he would “consider” such a program while emphasizing a broader commitment to resolving capital access barriers.
Campaign spokesperson Garrison Douglas has described the outreach as central rather than secondary: “His outreach is not an afterthought, but a significant part of the campaign’s efforts to ensure Georgia voters who have felt left behind and ignored by the status quo know that Rick Jackson is going to fight and win big for them, no matter their ZIP code.” The team includes several Black Republicans, among them former Kemp press secretary Douglas, who previously worked on Black outreach for the Republican National Committee.
Jackson has also visited other Black-owned businesses, drawing both support and criticism. Some Black Republicans have praised his personal story of overcoming hardship as resonant, while others have cautioned that close alignment with President Trump’s agenda could limit gains among Black voters, particularly women.
Invest Fest’s organizers have not publicly responded to Jackson’s post. The event remains scheduled for Atlanta this year, and tickets are on sale. Whether state-level engagement under a potential Jackson administration would materialize—or prove decisive in retaining the conference long-term—remains to be seen. With early voting months away, both campaigns are expected to intensify efforts in metro Atlanta’s diverse communities.