(Joshua Paladino, Headline USA) President Donald Trump has endorsed Vernon Jones, a former Democrat and Georgia state rep., in the Republican primary for Georgia’s 10th Congressional District, Fox 5 Atlanta reported.
“When it comes to Georgia’s 10th Congressional District, I have only one choice, and the man’s name is Vernon Jones, a very special person,” Trump said in a video message that the Jones campaign released.
“He’s an America-first fighter who will never back down to either the establishment or the radical left,” he continued.
Some media outlets have speculated that Jones received Trump’s endorsement in exchange for his decision to drop out of the state’s Republican gubernatorial primary.
“Few fought harder for election integrity in 2020 than Vernon, and he’s a big supporter of a very good man running for governor, David Perdue,” Trump said. “He has my complete and total endorsement. Vernon will not let you down.”
Jones had been running in the Republican gubernatorial primary since April 2021, but he exited the race on Feb. 7, citing his belief that he “can best serve the people of Georgia in the Congress of the United States,” Fox 5 reported.
Straight from the horse’s mouth! pic.twitter.com/GUrqu4CR3t
— Vernon Jones For Congress (@RepVernonJones) February 7, 2022
When he dropped out of the governor’s race, Jones announced his support for Perdue, who he called a “good man who loves our state and loves our Country.”
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and former Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., are the top two contenders in the Republican gubernatorial primary, and Trump may have worried that Jones would pull support from Perdue.
Trump endorsed Perdue in the race because he believes that Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger allowed election fraud to flourish in Georgia, giving President Joe Biden the victory in the state.
Rep. Jody Hice, R-Ga., who currently holds the 10th Congressional District seat, will vacate the seat as part of his effort to unseat Raffensperger in the 2022 Secretary of State election.
