ATLANTA (AP) — vernon jonesA former Democratic state lawmaker who switched parties to support President Donald Trump announced Monday that he is running for Georgia’s top elections official.
Jones calls himself the “black Donald Trump.” ran for parliament In 2022, it gained support from President Trump, reinforcing the president’s false claims that the 2020 Georgia election was stolen from him.
“Confidence in our elections has been shaken,” Jones said in a video announcing his campaign for secretary of state. He added, “Our elections must be secure. Our ballots must be protected.”
current secretary of state brad raffenspergeris a Republican and is running for governor in 2026. Republican Gabriel Sterling, one of Raffensperger’s former top officials, is also running to replace him. both made a name for themselves Defending Georgia’s Presidential Election Results In 2020, after President Trump called Raffensperger and asked: “Find” vote The move is aimed at overturning Democratic President Joe Biden’s victory in the state.
jones fell off In the 2022 gubernatorial race, he lost to U.S. Rep. Mike Collins in the Republican primary that year, and is currently vying for President Trump’s support to unseat Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff.
Before losing to Collins, Jones served several terms in the Georgia House of Representatives before becoming a Republican in January 2021, when his last term ends. Jones has been praised by Republican officials as an African American who supported Trump’s re-election campaign.
Jones was also the CEO of DeKalb County, in the Atlanta metropolitan area, when he was accused of raping a woman in 2004. Mr. Jones denied the charges and the charges were dropped.
The Secretary of State oversees state elections, corporate filings, professional certifications, and other business activities.
If elected, Jones said he would push for the use of paper ballots instead of Georgia’s electronic system, limit voting by mail and strengthen voter ID laws. He will also seek to “cut through the red tape” for small and medium-sized businesses.
In addition to Sterling, Republican state Reps. Tim Fleming and Kelvin King are also running. Both Jones and King are appealing to Trump supporters who question the security of the election. king’s wife, janelle kinga member of the State Board of Elections, has seen some significant action. overturned by state supreme court.
Fleming chairs a commission studying Georgia’s election system and is a supporter of hand-written paper ballots, a key demand of activists skeptical of the state’s voting machines.
Little-known candidate Adrian Consonary Jr. and former Fulton County state court judge penny brown reynoldsbriefly appeared on reality TV, but is running as a Democrat.
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Crammon is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
