Georgia state Rep. Vernon Jones, a Democrat who recently voiced support for President Trump this November, announced that he will not seek reelection from his seat following criticism he received over the endorsement.
“Turn the lights off, I have left the plantation,” a statement from Jones said. “Someone else can occupy that suite. Therefore, I intend not to complete my term effective April 22, 2020.”
Recommended Stories
Jones also posted a promise on Twitter that he intends to do everything he can to support Trump’s reelection effort.
“Earlier today, I made the decision to not seek re-election to the Georgia House of Representatives,” he wrote. “I look forward, however, to continuing to serve my community in other ways and doing all I can to re-elect @realDonaldTrump. We will Make America Great Again.”
Earlier today, I made the decision to not seek re-election to the Georgia House of Representatives.
I look forward, however, to continuing to serve my community in other ways and doing all I can to re-elect @realDonaldTrump.
We will Make America Great Again ??
— Vernon Jones (@RepVernonJones) April 22, 2020
Jones clarified that he doesn’t plan on leaving the Democratic Party altogether and hopes to remain in the party and “hold them accountable.”
“I don’t plan to leave the Democratic Party because somebody’s got to be in there to hold them accountable — hold them accountable to how they are treating black people [and] root out the bigotry,” he said on The Rashad Richey Morning Show on Wednesday after announcing his resignation.
The morning show interview became hostile at times and concluded with Jones ending the interview early and the host saying, “Hang up on this clown, please.”
That combativeness is emblematic of the response from Jones’s colleagues in the Democratic Party to his decision to support Trump.
The Dekalb County Democratic Party announced it was exploring ways to punish Jones immediately following his Trump endorsement.
“He was never a Democrat but is gaming the system to win. He’s a wolf in sheep’s skin,” the Georgia state party’s vice chairwoman for recruitment, Adrienne White, said.
Nikema Williams, chairwoman of the Georgia State Democratic Party, claimed that Jones is “an embarrassment.”
“Let me be clear about one thing: I didn’t leave the Democratic Party. The Democratic Party left me,” Jones said earlier this week, arguing that Trump’s support of the black community, farmers, and veterans inspired the endorsement. “But one would say, ‘Why would a black man support Donald Trump?’ I would reverse that. Why wouldn’t a black man support Donald Trump?”
