MONROE, Ga. — Former President Donald Trump has waded into the 10th District race for Congress, endorsing the newest candidate, Vernon Jones.
Jones, a former state representative from DeKalb County, dropped out of the race for governor Monday to run for the open seat representing Georgia's 10th Congressional District.
“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 released Wednesday by the Jones campaign.
Jones said on Twitter, "I’m proud to have President Trump’s endorsement, confidence and support as I seek to represent the people of Georgia’s 10th Congressional District. America First movement is alive and well!"
He also told The John Fredericks Show on WMLB-AM 1690 that he hoped Trump will do a rally in Athens on his behalf.
Jones, 61, served in the state House from 1993-2001 and again from 2017-21 — between which he served two terms as CEO of the DeKalb County government.
He was elected as a Democrat but spoke at the 2020 Republican National Convention in favor of Trump’s reelection and switched parties upon leaving the legislature.
Jones was a longshot in his bid to unseat Gov. Brian Kemp, and the challenge became even tougher when former U.S. Sen. David Perdue entered the race.
He switched gears to the 10th District race for Congress, an open seat with U.S. Rep. Jody Hice’s bid for secretary of state.
The 10th District is a swath of north and east Georgia, stretching from the eastern suburbs of Atlanta to metro Augusta, and includes the eastern half of Newton County.
Hice, a Republican, was elected in 2014 as a pastor from Bold Springs in Walton County. He moved to Greensboro a few years later to be nearer the center of the district but maintains an office in downtown Monroe.
An even dozen Republican candidates have filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to run in the May 24 primary. That doesn’t include Jones.
Among the candidates are state Rep. Timothy Barr of Lawrenceville, whom Hice has endorsed; former Rep. Paul Broun of Athens; Jackson trucking magnate Mike Collins, who made the GOP runoff against Hice in 2014 and is a son of the late U.S. Rep. Mac Collins; and Monroe businessman Marc McMain, who touts the endorsement of Walton County Sheriff Joe Chapman.
But Trump got more than 70% of the vote locally and remains popular. He’s backed a slate of candidates in the Peach State including Perdue for governor, state Sen. Burt Jones of Jackson for lieutenant governor, Hice for secretary of state and now Jones for Congress.
“He’s an America-first fighter who will never back down to either the establishment or the radical left,” Trump said of Jones.
“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. He has my complete and total endorsement. Vernon will not let you down.”
At least one of Jones’ opponents has begun to fight back against the newcomer.
Collins said in an email that Jones was "a corrupt, carpetbagging, lifelong Democrat from DeKalb County who’s been accused of rape."
While Jones was leading the DeKalb government, a Lithonia woman accused him of rape. The district attorney dropped the charges, with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporting at the time that the woman wanted to avoid the trauma of a trial. Jones at the time declared himself exonerated.
News Editor Tom Spigolon of The Covington News contributed to this report.
