Georgia state Sen. Burt Jones on Tuesday announced his campaign to run for lieutenant governor in the Peach State.
Jones’s move to run for office will pit him against state Sen. Butch Miller, a Republican who has been criticized by former President Donald Trump for his alleged refusal to work with other GOP legislatures on combating voter fraud and irregularities that Trump claimed happened in the state’s 2020 election.
Jones, a Republican who represents the state’s 25th District, underscored his longtime support of the former president in his campaign announcement video.
“Georgians deserve a proven business leader, consistent conservative, and champion for Georgia families with the courage [to] stand up and make our state a better place, and I’m running for Lieutenant Governor to do just that,” Jones said in a statement first obtained by the Washington Examiner. “As the first elected official in Georgia to endorse President Trump, I will also proudly keep fighting for his America First Agenda.”
GEORGIA LEGISLATOR SEEKS INVESTIGATION INTO RAFFENSPERGER OVER 2020 ELECTION ‘FAILURES’
In July, the former president released a statement praising the state senator for his support of Trump’s election fraud claims, which have been denied by the former administration’s Justice Department.
On Jan. 12, Jones was one of the state senators in the Peach State on the short list who was stripped of a committee post due to discussions of election fraud. Last month, he sent a letter to the Senate Government Oversight Committee chairman to call for an investigation into Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and for him to testify over the “numerous and documented failures” related to the 2020 election.
Miller, who announced his bid for lieutenant governor in May, presided over the passage of Georgia’s election security law and has called for an audit of the presidential election results in Fulton County.
Trump has said he will not be “supporting or endorsing” Miller because he believes the state senator did not sufficiently support his election fraud claims.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Incumbent Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan has said he does not plan to seek reelection.
The Georgia Republican primaries in 2022 will be held on May 24.
