Lt. Gov. Burt Jones traveled to Iowa to boost Donald Trump’s White House run, making him the highest-ranking Georgia Republican to formally back the former president’s bid for another term.
Jones trekked to Trump’s Iowa campaign headquarters Thursday and spoke to his supporters at a caucus training center, the latest in a series of steps by the lieutenant governor to align himself with the former president.
As he prepares for a potential run for governor in 2026, Jones seems intent on building support among the pro-Trump grassroots conservatives who will help decide that primary. He could also be cast by supporters as a potential Trump running-mate in a must-win state.
Jones, a former state senator, has a long history with Trump. He endorsed Trump’s presidential bid in 2015, at a time when nearly every other Georgia Republican was steering clear of his candidacy. And he was a key surrogate for Trump in 2020.
After Trump’s defeat, Jones and several GOP allies pressed for a special legislative session and supported lawsuits aimed at reversing Joe Biden‘s victory, and he urged then-Vice President Mike Pence to reject the official results in Congress.
He also served as one of the 16 Republican electors who signed documents falsely stating Trump defeated Biden. He was one of 30 people who Fulton County prosecutors say participated in a conspiracy to overturn the election but were not charged, and a special grand jury recommended that Jones be indicted.
But Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis was blocked by a judge from filing charges against Jones, and a special prosecutor could take up the case. Jones has said he didn’t do anything wrong and called it a “politically motivated” probe.
Jones won an open race for Georgia’s No. 2 job last year with Trump’s endorsement, which made him one of the few state Republicans who benefited from the ex-president’s support in the midterm.
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
And he was the highest-ranking Republican to attend the state GOP convention earlier this year that featured an address from Trump. Gov. Brian Kemp and other top Republicans boycotted the event, highlighting an enduring internal rift in the state party.
Since taking office, Jones has allied with Kemp on key issues, such as public safety initiatives and anti-gang crackdowns.
But he also broke with the governor and his allies on other measures, including a failed push to split Atlanta into two municipalities and another to deregulate hospitals.
More recently, he’s backed efforts to pay teachers to complete weapons training and carry guns in classrooms to bolster security – an idea Trump has also endorsed.
And he supports a Senate-led investigation into the Fulton County Jail that could scrutinize Willis after she brought the election interference charges against Trump and his allies.
Jones’ trip to Iowa coincided with another pro-Trump event the lieutenant governor had initially agreed to attend: A “Fulton Defense Fund” barbecue to help pay the legal bills of several allies charged in the sweeping Fulton County indictments.
About the Author
