‘I have left the plantation’: Georgia Democrat who endorsed Trump abruptly resigns
Updated April 23: Georgia Democratic Rep. Vernon Jones has since changed his mind about resigning, one day after announcing intentions to end his term early.
Original:
Georgia state Rep. Vernon Jones is quitting his post and won’t seek re-election, his office announced Wednesday.
“Turn the lights off, I have left the plantation,” Jones said, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Someone else can occupy that suite. Therefore, I intend not to complete my term effective April 22, 2020.”
The lawmaker’s abrupt resignation comes a little over a week after Jones announced he was throwing his support behind President Donald Trump’s re-election bid — a move that was met with acute criticism.
“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,” Jones, the first state elected Democrat in Georgia to endorse Trump for a second term, told the AJC in an interview last week.
The North Carolina native said he has no plans to switch parties, however, because “somebody’s got to be in there to hold them accountable; hold them accountable to how they’re treating black people (and) root out the bigotry,” he told talk radio host Dr. Rashad Richey early Wednesday, according to the AJC.
In a statement announcing his resignation, Jones said he was simply “sick and tired of me and my family being attacked and harassed by the Democratic Party,” FOX 5 Atlanta reported. The lawmaker, who once described himself as a “conservative Democrat,” said he was trying to rid the party of its “bigotry” against African-Americans.
“I endorsed the White guy (Donald J. Trump) that let Blacks out of jail, and they endorsed the White guy (Joe Biden) that put Blacks in jail,” Jones said, according to the news station.
His departure now clears the path for business owner Rhonda Taylor, who was set to challenge Jones in the Democratic primary, to become the new state representative for House District 91, Decaturish.com reports.
Jones, 59, whose district represented parts of DeKalb and Rockdale counties, was the first African-American to serve as chief executive officer in DeKalb, according to his biography on the county’s official website.
The Georgia Democrat has long been considered a polarizing figure for his views and faced accusations of theft and other misconduct during his time as DeKalb CEO, according to FOX 5. In March, Jones was accused of lobbing transphobic comments at a local official, the AJC reported.
The lawmaker’s recent endorsement of Trump sparked swift condemnation from fellow Georgia Democrats, including chairwoman of the state Democratic Party and State Sen. Nikema Williams, who called Jones an “embarrassment.”
“[He] does not stand for our values,” Williams said in a statement. “Vernon Jones doesn’t speak for Georgians, and neither does Donald Trump — which is why Georgians will send him home in November 2020.”
On Wednesday, Jones said his First Amendment rights to free speech were “under siege” and that his resignation would be effective immediately.
“However, I will remain woke and vigilant in educating and fighting for my people,” his statement concluded.
This story was originally published April 22, 2020 at 11:54 AM.