Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones announced on Tuesday that he is launching a campaign to become the Peach State’s next governor ahead of the 2026 election.
Jones’s long-anticipated entrance into the race makes him the second Republican to launch a gubernatorial campaign to succeed term-limited Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA) after Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr first said in November he would seek his party’s nomination. With both candidates now in the running, there will likely be a showdown over who will capture President Donald Trump’s coveted endorsement.
“Georgia deserves a bold, unapologetic and proven common-sense leader who will continue delivering real results for families and businesses across our state, and that’s why I’m proud to be running to be the next Governor of our great state,” Jones said in a statement announcing his bid for the governor’s mansion.
The gubernatorial hopeful’s campaign website focuses on issues ranging from slashing income taxes and addressing the fentanyl crisis to expanding school choice and cracking down on illegal immigration.
Jones focused on tying himself to Trump in his campaign announcement. He gained national attention in 2020 when he was part of an effort to certify the state’s presidential election for the then-GOP presidential candidate.
“I’ve also fought to deliver President Trump’s agenda here in Georgia from day one–and even took arrows from the radical left for doing it. But just like President Trump, I won–and delivered for the people of Georgia, just like he is delivering for the American people in Washington,” Jones said.
Carr is also vying for the president’s endorsement after previously being viewed as a MAGA skeptic, due partly to running a successful primary campaign against Trump-backed candidate John Gordon in 2022.
Although the Republican attorney general has since cozied up to the president, Trump allies have said Carr still holds “zero appeal in MAGAworld,” arguing he has little chance against Jones because “if you’re not aligned with Trump’s strong conservative policies, there’s no pathway to any higher office as a Republican in Georgia.”
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Jones is serving his first term as lieutenant governor and recently completed a widely successful legislative session amid expectations that a gubernatorial announcement was imminent. He was previously in the state Senate from 2013 until 2023.
Although a Democrat hasn’t won the governor’s mansion in Georgia for nearly three decades, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, state Sen. Jason Esteves, state Rep. Derrick Jackson, and Atlanta pastor Olu Brown have announced intentions to challenge Republican dominance.
