Another pair of Trump-backed GOP candidates lost by huge margins in Congressional primary elections this Tuesday. The elections were runoffs in Georgia, meaning elections in which the top two finishers from a first round faced off again because nobody got a majority in initial voting.
The candidates who lost Tuesday include Vernon Jones, who used to be a Democrat before becoming a Trump acolyte, and Jake Evans. “I’m proud to have President Trump’s endorsement, confidence and support as I seek to represent the people of Georgia’s 10th Congressional District,” Jones said in February. “America First movement is alive and well! The squad better get ready!” With over 95 percent of the vote counted from this Tuesday’s elections, Jones was behind by a margin of some 49 percent. Victor Mike Collins had 74.5 percent of the vote; Jones had just 25.5 percent. This race was, as referenced above by Jones, in Georgia’s 10th Congressional District.
Over in Georgia’s Sixth Congressional District, Trump endorsement-recipient Jake Evans also lost on Tuesday by a substantial margin. “Jake Evans is a young man rapidly on the rise,” Trump said back in May. “The people of Georgia love him for his strong stance on the Second Amendment, our Military and Vets, Border Protection, Law Enforcement, Pro-Life, and of course, Election Integrity.” And Evans was predictably thrilled to receive the former president’s support. “Thank you President Trump for your endorsement!” Evans replied. “I will fight for YOU and the America First Agenda. Together, we will DEFEAT Biden, FIRE Pelosi and SAVE America!” With over 95 percent of the vote tabulated after Tuesday’s elections, Evans was down by 33 percent behind victor Rich McCormick, who had 66.5 percent of the vote. Evans had just 33.5 percent.
The GOP primaries in Georgia’s 10th and Sixth Congressional Districts have both, at this point, been called by the Associated Press. Neither Jones nor Evans are going to Congress this time around. These dismal-for-Trump results add onto an already lackluster record for the former president in Georgia. He supported former Georgia Republican Senator David Perdue in the GOP primary for the state’s governorship — going up against incumbent Republican Brian Kemp — and Kemp won by a whopping margin of nearly 52 percent.
As of early Wednesday, Jones had posted on Twitter acknowledging his loss, but Evans had not. “While tonight didn’t go the way we planned, the fire in my belly for the America First movement will never be extinguished,” Jones said. “All eyes towards November. Georgia is not a BLUE state. It was a stolen state. And we’re going to take it back.” Jones is a supporter of the “Stop the Steal” movement — meaning the idea there was some kind of widespread misconduct in the last presidential election cycle leading to Joe Biden’s victory. (There obviously remains no evidence for that.) Perdue is also a “Big Lie”-supporter, but that wasn’t enough to buoy him with Georgia GOP voters earlier this year.
