ATLANTA — After months of speculation, Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones confirmed that he will run for governor in 2026.
Jones took to YouTube to announce what most political observers expected him to do.
“My journey — from walk-on football player to team captain at the University of Georgia — proves I know how to dream big and deliver results. Now, I’m ready to fight every day for your family and for the future of our state," Jones said in a statement.
He’ll be running against Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr, who announced his candidacy last year.
University of Georgia political professor emeritus Dr. Charles Bullock has seen his fair share of campaigns.
He’s surprised that Jones waited this long to make his announcement.
“It’s a little bit of a surprise to see him wait until here we are in the middle of the summer, but the fact that he’s in it is no surprise,” Bullock said.
He believes Jones comes with both pluses and minuses.
Jones is close with President Donald Trump and touts that relationship in his ads. But that closeness has its downsides.
Jones was involved in the efforts to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia, even serving as one of the false electors.
TRENDING STORIES:
- Chase ends in crash, causing heavy police presence on I-285
- Duluth couple loses $20,000 to check-washing scheme by mailing IRS payment
- Wife dies a day after a crash that also killed husband on North Georgia highway
The Democratic Governors Association wasted no time criticizing all of the GOP candidates, saying in a statement:
“Today marks the first day of a nasty and divisive year-long battle for the Republican gubernatorial nomination between Burt Jones and Chris Carr — and potentially Marjorie Taylor Greene. Jones is an extremist who wants to undermine public education, champions Georgia’s dangerous abortion ban, backs the mass firing of Georgians at the CDC, and has a long record of opposing Medicaid expansion. Jones’ partisan, disastrous record could not be more out-of-touch with Georgians — and his campaign launch means that this primary will be a race to the right. No matter who wins, Republicans will be left with a deeply damaged and extreme nominee.”
Bullock thinks Jones’ involvement with Trump and his 2020 efforts could help him in a primary but hurt him in a general election
“We look at survey research, and it shows, yes, most Republicans think there were problems with the 2020 election. Certainly, Democrats don’t think that way. Neither do independents. They’ve kind of moved on beyond that,” Bulloch said.
And the big question remains: will Marjorie Taylor Greene enter the governor’s race? She’s hinted at it, but no announcement yet.
On the Democratic side, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, State Sen. Jason Esteves, State Rep. Derrick Jackson, and former church pastor Olujimi Brown have all announced their candidacies.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
©2025 Cox Media Group
