State Rep. Vernon Jones bucked his party Tuesday and endorsed President Donald Trump and in doing so became the first Democrat in the state to endorse the president for reelection. He also became a pariah in his own party. Jones cited the economy that worked well fort the Black community before the Chinese virus hit the states. He also said that Trump’s massive support for traditionally Black colleges and his prison reform as reasons why he made the endorsement.
Fellow Georgia lawmakers have been endorsing his primary opponent since he made the announcement. Many of them cited the fact that Trump is a racist. But, here’s what I find amusing. The racist fought for and got all of these beneficial policies for the Black community while the “woke” Democrats sat on their hind ends and did nothing.
Jones said:
“It’s very simple to me. President Trump’s handling of the economy, his support for historically black colleges and his criminal justice initiatives drew me to endorse his campaign.”
“There are a lot of African Americans who clearly see and appreciate he’s doing something that’s never been done before. When you look at the unemployment rates among black Americans before the pandemic, they were at historic lows. That’s just a fact.”
State Democratic officials tried Tuesday to disown Jones, a former chief executive of DeKalb County, Georgia’s biggest Democratic stronghold. State Sen. Nikema Williams, the chairwoman of the state party, called him an “embarrassment” who doesn’t reflect Georgia values.
“Never has that been clearer than this moment, when he chose to stand with the racist president who has made an all-out assault on black Americans, who has tried to rip away American health care and who has failed our country in its greatest time of need,” she said.
In a conference call with the AJC, the Georgia House’s three top Democratic leaders backed Rhonda Taylor, a community activist who is challenging Jones in the June primary. House Minority Leader Bob Trammell said he is sending her a check immediately.
“We’re not sure what was on Vernon’s mind. It’s antithetical to what we believe in,” said state Rep. James Beverly, D-Macon, the chairman of the party’s House caucus. “We can’t support an ideology that’s diametrically opposed to who we are and what we value.”