Georgia Lawmaker Jones Weighs Run to Be State’s Secretary of State

Georgia state Rep. Vernon Jones poses for a portrait at the Georgia State Capitol, in Atlanta, Ga., on Oct. 25, 2020. Elijah Nouvelage/AFP via Getty Images

Georgia state Rep. Vernon Jones, a Democrat who is a supporter of President Donald Trump, indicated recently that he may be open to running for election in 2022 to be the state’s secretary of state.

“A lot of people have been urging me to run for Georgia’s Secretary of State,” Jones wrote on Twitter on Dec. 23.

“The people of Georgia deserve to have faith in the integrity of our elections again. It might just be time to help #DrainTheSwamp right here at home.”

Jones, a lifelong Democrat, delivered a speech at the Republican National Convention on Aug. 24, in support of Trump’s reelection.

He believes there was fraud during the general election in November.

“There are too many sworn affidavits, there are too many people who have felt like their rights have been infringed upon, their voting rights,” Jones told The Epoch Times during a rally in Washington on Dec. 12.

Trump referred to the current secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, as an “enemy of the people” and claimed that Georgia had a “fraudulent system” in late November.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger speaks during a news conference in Atlanta, on Nov. 11, 2020. Brynn Anderson/AP Photo

Running the elections is one of the main responsibilities of a state’s secretary of state.

Raffensperger, who is a Republican, has been heavily criticized by many Trump supporters for his handling of the general election.

He’s been accused of entering a consent decree with Democrats earlier this year to relax election safeguards. He also has been accused of blocking signature verification during recounts, among other things.

Raffensperger and others within his office have defended his actions, asserting that he actually strengthened signature verification before the election and that it wasn’t possible to do it again during recounts.

Raffensperger, who was elected to the role in 2018, previously was a member of the state’s House of Representatives.

Jones’s office didn’t immediately respond to a request by The Epoch Times for comment.

Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.