Lt. Gov. Burt Jones received the endorsement he was hoping for in his 2026 run for governor: that of President Donald Trump.
“Burt Jones for Governor has my Complete and Total Endorsement – HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform Monday evening.
Jones relished the attention in a post featuring a picture of him standing next to a thumbs-up-giving Trump.
“We’re fighting for election integrity, lower taxes, and to secure Georgia values — and with Trump’s support, we’re just getting started,” Jones’ post read.
Jones was an early backer of Trump’s first campaign in 2016, and among his most ardent supporters following Trump’s loss in 2020.
Then a state senator, Jones was one of 16 Republicans who signed certificates falsely pronouncing Trump the winner in Georgia. He also pushed Gov. Brian Kemp to call a special legislative session to overturn the election results.
Last year, a special prosecutor concluded that charges should not be brought against Jones.
Jones continued to support Trump and appeared beside him at Georgia rallies through the 2024 election.
The endorsement hardly comes as a surprise given the closeness between the two men, but it could be a major boon in May’s Republican primary. The only other announced high-profile Republican candidate is Attorney General Chris Carr.
Despite dwindling popularity among independent voters, Trump enjoys near-universal support among Republicans – an April Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll found about 85% of Georgia Republicans support Trump.
Democrats, led by candidates like state Sen. Jason Esteves of Atlanta, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and former DeKalb County CEO Mike Thurmond, are likely hoping that Jones’ snuggling up to Trump in the primary could hurt him in a general election. Despite the strong showing among GOP faithful, the same AJC poll showed Trump’s overall approval rating in Georgia at a meager 43%, with the majority of those disapproving identifying as independents.
In a statement, Bottoms sought to paint Jones as a Trump sycophant.
“It’s clear that Burt Jones is only interested in one thing: serving as a yes-man to Donald Trump,” she said. “I’ll put Georgians first, and I will never be afraid to stand up for our state”
Jones also likely carries a financial advantage – Carr is suing Jones alleging that a special campaign finance structure called a leadership committee allows Jones to flaunt fundraising limits imposed upon other candidates.
But Carr’s campaign shrugged off the endorsement.
“Chris Carr is the only conservative Republican who can win the primary and the general election,” said spokesperson Julia Mazzone in a statement Monday night. “The Attorney General will continue to work with President Trump now and as Governor on the issues that matter to hardworking Georgians.”
Carr ruffled Trump’s feathers after his 2020 loss by declining to sign on to efforts to overturn the election, but he has since sought to get back on the president’s good side.
A Trump endorsement has been seen as a golden ticket for a Republican seeking elected office, but a note from the big guy hasn’t always guaranteed success.
In 2022, Trump endorsed a slate of primary candidates up and down Georgia ballots, most of whom went home losers on election night – and that included John Gordon, who went up against Carr but lost by more than 47% of the vote.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
