Trump-Backed Vernon Jones Loses House GOP Primary Runoff, According to Projection
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Trump-backed former Georgia state Rep. Vernon Jones has lost the GOP runoff election to businessman Mike Collins, according to a projection.
Dave Wasserman of the nonpartisan Cook Political Report called the race for Collins at 7:15 p.m. ET.
I’ve seen enough: Mike Collins (R) defeats Trump-endorsed Vernon Jones (R) in the #GA10 GOP runoff. @CookPolitical November rating: Solid R.
— Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) June 21, 2022
Jones is a former Democrat who aligned himself with former President Donald Trump during 2020. He later left the Democratic Party.
He announced he intended to resign from the state House in April 2020, but changed his mind.
Jones later launched a bid to challenge Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA) in the state’s gubernatorial primary. He ended that bid in February and endorsed former Sen. David Perdue (R-GA).
Perdue got thumped by Kemp in May — the same day Collins and Jones both failed to cross the threshold needed to avoid Tuesday’s runoff.
In his February endorsement of Jones, Trump called him “an America-first fighter” who would “never back down to the establishment or the radical left.”
Collins is a first-time candidate who owns a trucking company. The businessman describes himself as pro-Trump on his website:
I’m running for Congress because the radical left is out-of-control. The liberals in Washington, D.C. won’t stop until someone stands up to them, and for hard-working Georgians. I’m pro-Trump, pro-life and will protect our Second Amendment right. I won’t bow to the woke mob’s cancel culture or Nancy Pelosi’s job-killing, gun-grabbing agenda.
Collins also describes his positions as anti-abortion, pro-life and fiscally conservative.
He will face either Jessica Fore or Tabitha Johnson-Greenin the November general election to represent Georgia’s 10 congressional district.
The seat is currently held by Rep. Jody Hice (R-GA). Hice opted not to seek reelection so he could challenge Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.
Despite of having the endorsement of Trump, Hice was not competitive in his race against Raffensperger.
