Trump ally Vernon Jones announces run for Georgia secretary of state

ATLANTA (AP) — Vernon Jones, a former Democratic state representative who switched parties in support of President Donald Trump, announced Monday he’s running to become Georgia’s top election official.

Jones, who has called himself the “Black Donald Trump,” ran for Congress in 2022 with Trump’s endorsement, bolstering the president’s false claims that Georgia’s 2020 election was stolen from him.

“Trust 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 Raffensperger, a Republican, is running for governor in the 2026 election. One of Raffensperger’s former top officials, Republican Gabriel Sterling, is also running to replace him. Both made names for themselves defending Georgia’s presidential election results in 2020 after Trump called Raffensperger and asked him to “find” votes to overturn Democratic President Joe Biden’s win in the state.

Jones dropped out of the 2022 governor’s race then lost the Republican congressional primary that same year to U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, who is now vying for Trump’s endorsement to try and unseat Democrat U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff.

Before his loss to Collins, Jones served several terms in Georgia’s state House before he became a Republican in January 2021 as his final term came to an end. Jones became a lauded voice in Republican circles as an African American who endorsed Trump’s reelection campaign.

Jones was also CEO of DeKalb County, which is located in metro Atlanta, when he was accused of raping a woman in 2004. He denied the allegations and the charges were dropped.

The secretary of state oversees state elections and corporate filings, professional licenses and other business activities.

If elected, Jones said he would push for the use of paper ballots instead of Georgia’s electronic system, limit mail-in voting and toughen voter ID laws. He would also try to “cut red tape” for small businesses.

Along with Sterling, Republicans state Rep. Tim Fleming and Kelvin King are also running. Jones and King both appeal to Trump supporters who question the security of elections. King’s wife, Janelle King, is a member of the State Elections Board that saw some key actions overturned by the state Supreme Court.

Fleming heads a committee studying Georgia’s election system and is another vocal proponent of hand-marked paper ballots, a key demand from activists skeptical of the state’s voting machines.

Little-known candidate Adrian Consonery Jr. and former Fulton County State Court Judge Penny Brown Reynolds, who had a brief reality TV stint, are running as Democrats.

___

Kramon 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.