President Trump has endorsed Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones for the state's 2026 gubernatorial race, The Hill reported. Jones is the second high-profile Republican to announce the intention to replace the term-limited current GOP Gov. Brian Kemp.
Jones announced his candidacy last month to much fanfare. According to his campaign ad, Jones said that he is in favor of keeping men out of women's sports, abolishing the state income tax, and addressing the fentanyl epidemic.
Jones has also been a staunch supporter of Trump's Make America Great Again agenda. The president announced he was supporting Jones in a post on his Truth Social on Monday.
Trump is backing Jones to become Georgia's new executive, emphasizing the state's importance while offering his strong endorsement. "Highly Respected and very popular Lieutenant Governor, Burt Jones, is running to be the next Governor of the Great State of Georgia, a very special place to me in that we had a BIG Presidential Election Win just eight short months ago, November 5, 2024," Trump wrote.
"As the first member of the Georgia State Assembly to Endorse 'DONALD J. TRUMP' for President, Burt was strongly committed to my Campaign in 2016, 2020, and 2024, and worked tirelessly to help us WIN. He has been with us from the very beginning," Trump continued.
The president said that Jones has been "tested at the most difficult levels and times" and "has proven he has the Courage and Wisdom to deliver strong results for the incredible people of his wonderful State and Nation," Trump said. The president also said that Jones will implement an agenda similar to his.
"As your next Governor, Burt Jones will fight hard to Grow the Economy, Cut Taxes and Regulations, Promote MADE IN THE U.S.A., Champion American Energy DOMINANCE, Continue to Secure our now Secure Southern Border, Strengthen our Military/Veterans, Ensure LAW AND ORDER, Advance Election Integrity, and Defend our always under siege Second Amendment. Burt Jones for Governor has my Complete and Total Endorsement – HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!" Trump concluded.
Georgia is a critical swing state for Republicans, and Trump clinched its 16 electoral votes in the 2016 and 2024 elections. He lost in 2020 and famously fell out with Kemp over it, which means a new Republican governor on Trump's side would go a long way to restoring party unity.
According to the Associated Press, Georgia became the center of the controversy in 2020 over Trump's claims about a stolen election. He placed a call late in 2020 to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to "find" the votes that would award the state to him instead of then-President Joe Biden.
The media and the Democrats tried to spin this as a shakedown, but Trump was asking for help in counting legitimate votes as he thought the election had been stolen from him. Raffensperger has used this as a springboard for his own self-serving narrative, but it bled over into the relationship with Kemp, who has denied election integrity problems.
"For nearly three years now, anyone with evidence of fraud has failed to come forward - under oath - and prove anything in a court of law. Our elections in Georgia are secure, accessible, and fair, and will continue to be as long as I am governor," Kemp said in 2024, according to Fox News.
Although Kemp didn't campaign with Trump, he eventually endorsed him against then-Vice President Kamala Harris. Now, if Jones becomes governor, it will put the feud to rest for good.
Trump is using his clout to help Republicans in Georgia far ahead of the next election, and that's a good sign. The president is as popular as ever, and it's clear that Trump wants to leave the party in a good position for the next presidential election and beyond.
