He Took Big Risks to Make Billions. He Wants Georgia Voters to Bet on Him.

Rick Jackson's run for governor as a political nobody was his latest gamble. The campaign has brought scrutiny to the businesses that made him a fortune.

Rick Jackson, a billionaire entrepreneur with almost no name recognition and even less political experience, called a longtime friend and adviser in February to bring him in on his plans: He wanted to run for governor of Georgia.

Eric Tanenblatt, who had known Mr. Jackson for nearly two decades, was taken aback. The Republican primary race was well underway, and the field was stacked with experienced candidates, including a lieutenant governor with President Trump's support. Mr. Jackson had just a few months to close an enormous gap.

Mr. Tanenblatt laughed. Mr. Jackson did not.

Mr. Jackson told him he had already set aside $50 million from his personal fortune, and he was willing to pour in much more. By the end of the conversation, Mr. Tanenblatt was convinced Mr. Jackson was approaching the campaign as he did just about everything else.

"He is all in," Mr. Tanenblatt said. He closed that gap, becoming the Republican nominee.

A pattern of bold gambits, with hard work and confidence pushing up against long odds, has defined much of Mr. Jackson's life. That willingness to take risks lifted him from a childhood of poverty and neglect to wealth and influence -- a pulled-up-by-his-bootstraps story that has been central to his pitch to voters.

"God has blessed me beyond anything I imagined," Mr. Jackson said during a televised debate in early October. "I know what it means to struggle. I know what it means to get a second chance."

The campaign has brought intense new scrutiny to how Mr. Jackson has amassed and maintained his fortune.

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