What Donald Trump’s endorsement of Burt Jones means for governor’s race

Published On: August 13, 2025

When the votes are ultimately tabulated, President Donald Trump’s early support of Lt. Gov. Burt Jones could either make or break his bid for governor.

There was no surprise in the support. Ten years have passed since Jones initially joined Trump. U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, his main opponent for Trump’s nomination, decided not to run. Additionally, Jones has spent months frantically lining up the endorsement.

He may now use the upcoming year to remind Republicans that Trump deemed him a WARRIOR who possesses the bravery and wisdom to produce significant outcomes.

That is a significant issue in a state that Trump won in 2024 and where the majority of Republicans continue to support the president and his policies.

With almost $14 million in his campaign fund and a $10 million personal loan, Jones has the means to ensure that Trump supporters don’t lose sight of the president’s support.

However, the nod is reciprocal. Attorney General Chris Carr, his primary Republican rival, has long prepared for this eventuality. In 2022, he ran on his record and defeated a Trump-backed opponent. He could now attempt to win over additional swing voters by framing Trump’s rejection as evidence of his independence.

Additionally, Jones becomes a more prominent target for Democrats who want to portray all Republicans in the race as Trump cronies. Keisha Lance Bottoms, the former mayor of Atlanta, didn’t waste any time.

She claimed that it is obvious that Burt Jones is simply interested in being Donald Trump’s yes-man. I’ll prioritize Georgians, and I’ll never hesitate to defend our state. Georgians are entitled to a governor who will prioritize our state over Donald Trump.

Things to know

Arvin Temkar/AJC is credited.

Good morning! When officials today present the findings of a two-year federally financed study regarding the addition of light rail stations along the much-liked network of parks and trails, we’ll get a glimpse of the Atlanta Beltline’s future.

Three more things to be aware of today are as follows:

U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff said an investigation from his office has revealed 14 reports of alleged mistreatment of pregnant women inside immigration detention facilities, the

AJC s Lautaro Grinspan reports

.
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. visited the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta days after a gunman opened fire on the public health agency,

the AJC s Taylor Croft reports

.
President Donald Trump says he s taking over Washington s police department and calling in the National Guard. It would be difficult for Trump to repeat that tactic in other cities,

such as Atlanta, the

AJC s Jozsef Papp reports

.

Speak up

Credit: AJC/Adam Beam

The Democratic senator from Georgia, Jon Ossoff, is more than pleased to hear criticism of President Donald Trump’s policies. However, he would like to begin publicly hearing those grievances, beginning with the business sector in Atlanta, as he gets ready for one of the most difficult Senate contests in the United States next year.

On Monday, Ossoff urged members of the Atlanta Rotary Club to speak out against the Trump administration outside of the relative protection of his U.S. Senate seat.

For the past five or six months, leaders from every industry have visited my office and told me that they are afraid but will not speak because they do not want to be singled out, according to Ossoff. Silence does not equate to safety. To make a difference, you must exercise the rights outlined in our Constitution.

If it sounds familiar, it’s because in a May speech to the Rotary Club, Georgia’s other Democratic U.S. senator, Ralph Warnock, made the same challenge.

“I understand that you want to avoid politics as much as possible when you’re managing a business,” Warnock said to them. However, there comes a time when we must speak up.

The remarks show how difficult it is for Georgia’s corporate leaders to strike a balance between the policies of the state’s GOP governing majority and the preferences of Georgia’s Democratic U.S. senators.

Maintaining a low profile is frequently the best course of action, particularly when attempting to negotiate the complex regulatory frameworks of the federal and state governments. But with today’s fiercely divisive politics, that has become more difficult to accomplish.

Georgia 2026

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Jason Esteves and Keisha Lance Bottoms are more closely associated with former President Joe Biden than with U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the progressive leader from New York, in Georgia’s Democratic primary for governor.

Michael Thurmond, on the other hand, is not particularly from the Democratic Party’s liberal wing.

All of that begs the question, is there space for a more AOC-like candidate in the 2026 governor’s race?

Recently, there has been increasing discussion over a possible run by state representative Ruwa Romman, a Democrat from Duluth who is well-established on the party’s left. We’ve seen polling that evaluates Romman as a possible contender, but she hasn’t commented.

Transgender lawsuit

Legislators in Georgia concluded an intense discussion marked by a Democratic walkout by voting to prohibit taxpayer-funded transgender procedures on prisoners.

The courts will now continue to debate that issue. A class action lawsuit has been launched by five transgender inmates—three women and two men—to stop Senate Bill 185. To treat their gender dysphoria, four of them have been undergoing hormone therapy for years. A fifth prisoner is requesting an evaluation for therapy after receiving a diagnosis of gender dysphoria.

The Center for Constitutional Rights is providing assistance to the prisoners. Isis Benjamin, a transgender inmate in Coastal State Prison, issued a statement from the organization.

“If this law is not blocked, I know there are people who will commit suicide,” she stated.

In response, Republican Attorney General Chris Carr, who is also a candidate for governor, issued a news release.

He said, “It’s ridiculous that this is even a conversation.” The expenses of a prisoner’s sex transition should never be paid for by Georgia taxpayers. For a period. All the way to the Supreme Court, I will fight this.

Campaign watch

Ben Gray for the AJC is credited.

Geographic information systems analyst and political consultant Clarence Blalock declared his candidacy for Georgia labor commissioner on Tuesday. He is the first Democrat to challenge incumbent Barbara Rivera Holmes, a Republican, in the 2026 election.

While Georgia touts itself as a great state to do business, it remains an awful state to be a worker, he said in a statement, echoing a promise on hiscampaign websiteto advocate for union labor and fair wages.

But even as Blalock launches his bid, Rivera Holmes is still considered thefavorite in the race. She wasappointed to the positionbyGov. Brian Kempin March, months after thedeath of former commissioner Bruce Thompson.

The labor commissioner s job has been largely out of reach for Democrats. In 2022, Thompson beat former Democratic state Rep. William Boddie by nearly 7 percentage points. Before that, in 2018, Republican Mark Butler won against Democrat Richard Keatley by 5 percentage points.

Before entering the labor commissioner race, Blalock ended his campaign challenging U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Rome, for the District 14 House seat.

Blalock also ran for Congress in the heavily Republican district last year, losing to Democratic primary opponent Shawn Harris in a runoff by 38 percentage points.

Listen up

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Today on thePolitically Georgiapodcast former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan joins the show to discuss his decision to leave the GOP and join the Democratic Party.

You can listen and subscribe to Politically Georgia for free atApple Podcasts,Spotifyor wherever you get your podcasts.

Have a question or comment for the show? Email us [email protected] give us a call at 770-810-5297 and you could be featured on a future episode.

Summer lunch

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Georgia Democrats are ramping up their criticism ofGov. Brian Kempbecause of his refusal to participate in a summer nutrition program for the second year in a row.

Led by U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, D-Marietta, every Democrat in Georgia s congressional delegation signed a lettersent to Kempon Monday asking him to accept the Summer EBT Program funding.

Summer EBT would provide the poorest children and families with a $40 benefit per eligible child per month, totaling $120 dollars for the summer, the letter said. Of the roughly 2.8 million children in Georgia, over 40% of them are eligible for this benefit but are prevented from participating due to your continued decision to not participate in the program.

Kemp spokesperson Garrison Douglas called Summer EBT a pandemic, Biden-era program that lacks nutritional standards and fiscal accountability and sustainability. He noted Georgia is seeing success with our own summer meal programs.

That includes theSeamless Summerprogram from the Georgia Department of Education, which provided more than 6.7 million meals last year.

Trump today

Credit: Mark Schiefelbein/AP

President Donald Trump has no public events on his schedule. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt will hold a briefing for reporters at 1 p.m.

Benefits Over Billionaires

Credit: Meg Kinnard/AP

California U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna, a potential Democratic presidential contender in 2028, is bringing his Benefits Over Billionaires rally to Atlanta next week.

Former Ohio state Sen. Nina Turner, a progressive activist, will join himat the eventco-hosted by Protect Our Care on Monday evening. Khanna says he is holding the event to hear from people impacted by Trump s layoffs of federal workers or the cuts coming as part of the tax and spending package known as the big, beautiful bill.

Democrats need to be in every state right now calling out the Republican cuts to Medicaid. That includes Georgia and communities across the South, Khanna said in a statement. When we show up, we can t just talk. We need to listen to people and understand how the system has failed them.

Shoutouts

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Today s birthday:

State Rep. Brad Thomas, R-Holly Springs.

Want a birthday shoutout in the Politically Georgia newsletter? There s a form for that.Click hereto submit the shoutouts. It s not just birthdays. We re also interested in new jobs, engagements, birth announcements, etc.

Before you go

Credit: Alex Brandon/AP

President Donald Trump extended a trade truce with China for another 90 days,delaying new tariffson the world s second largest economy.

That ll do it for us today. As always, you can send your best scoops, gossip and insider info [email protected],[email protected],[email protected]@ajc.com.