Republican Vernon Jones commented Wednesday about his status as a Republican gubernatorial candidate for Georgia, but the messages he sent seemed unclear and came across as mixed.
This, after media outlets speculated that Jones might suspend his campaign and seek another office, per the supposed wishes of former President Donald Trump. Trump, in December, endorsed Republican David Perdue’s campaign to unseat incumbent GOP Governor Brian Kemp.
Jones on Wednesday posted on Facebook and said that he — and neither Kemp nor Perdue — will square off against the presumed Democratic Party nominee for governor.
“I can’t wait to debate Stacey Abrams!” Jones wrote.
Later in the day, though, Jones seemed to tweet that he’s open to other possibilities.
“There’s been a lot of speculation about my political future, as of late. My priority is – and has been since Day One – is to do whatever it takes to defeat Brian Kemp who’s cowardice nearly cost us our country. I will always stand with President Trump in anywhere I serve,” Jones wrote.
The Georgia Star News’ attempts to reach Jones and members of his campaign staff on Wednesday were unsuccessful.
The Atlanta Journal Constitution (AJC) this week said “Jones has enough sway in the race to extract a promise of support from Trump for another contest if he gets out of the governor’s primary.”
“Above all, Trump has made defeating Kemp a top priority, and his allies say he likely doesn’t want to see Perdue’s chances weakened by another pro-Trump candidate,” the paper reported.
The AJC then said Jones could run for Georgia’s right-leaning Sixth or Tenth Congressional Districts.
Perdue, meanwhile, launched a statewide tour on Tuesday to communicate his priorities to voters. They include reforming the state’s election system and overhauling the way the state government collects taxes.
Jones, a Democrat-turned-Republican and a political ally of Trump’s, declared his candidacy for governor last April. At the time, Jones said Kemp’s job performance, especially when it comes to ensuring “a free, fair, and transparent election,” has fallen short.
According to Ballotpedia, Jones served in the Georgia House of Representatives as a Democrat between 2017 until January of this year. He left the Democratic Party in 2021.
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Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star and The Georgia Star News. Follow Chris on Facebook, Twitter, Parler, and GETTR. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Vernon Jones” by Rep. Vernon Jones.
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