ATLANTA — When former President Donald Trump arrived in Atlanta earlier this month for a high-dollar fundraiser, he seemed joined at the hip with a lower-profile former aide trying to make a big impact in Georgia politics.

For years, Brian Jack has toiled in the shadows as an aide to a range of GOP luminaries, including former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, onetime presidential contender Ben Carson and, most notably, Trump himself.

Now he’s stepping into the political spotlight to run for Georgia’s 3rd Congressional District, backed by an alliance of MAGA warriors and other national figures such as McCarthy who are uniting to back his first bid for public office.

But the race for the deeply conservative west Georgia-based seat isn’t his for the taking. Jack faces fierce opposition from local figures who downplay Trump’s endorsement and brand Jack as a naïve carpetbagger more comfortable in Washington than rural Whitesburg.

The May 21 primary serves as a test of Trump’s mettle in a conservative part of Georgia where he’s depending on surging turnout in November to beat President Joe Biden and swing the state back into the GOP column.

The contest will be closely watched for other reasons, too. It’s the most competitive U.S. House race on the Georgia ballot after a court-ordered redistricting left Georgia with a Republican-drawn map devoid of swing districts.

It’s the only open congressional seat in Georgia this year and the only one featuring a full-fledged campaign. Challengers to Democratic U.S. Reps. Lucy McBath and David Scott have raised little cash and earned scant attention for their long-shot bids.

By contrast, the race for the 3rd District has attracted a bevy of contenders with deep local roots striving to succeed U.S. Rep. Drew Ferguson, a dentist retiring after four terms. Former state Sen. Mike Crane, ex-state Senate Majority Leader Mike Dugan and former state Rep. Philip Singleton are all among Jack’s top GOP rivals. Two Democrats are also competing.

There aren’t many major policy differences between the Republicans in this deep-red district spanning the western outskirts of Atlanta to the Alabama line. Each supports Trump’s comeback and pledges to rein in federal spending, crack down on illegal immigration and block President Joe Biden’s policies. That makes the race a battle over style as much as substance.

“Their positions are all the same, to be frank,” said Republican state Sen. Matt Brass, who hasn’t picked sides in the contest. “The differentiator is their leadership style. Do you want a combative candidate or a commonsense conservative?”

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