With less than two days to go until polls close in the Republican runoff election for governor Tuesday, Gov. Brian Kemp threw his support behind Lt. Gov. Burt Jones to succeed him.
“Over the last eight years, we’ve accomplished a lot and we’ve had a strong ally in Burt Jones. Burt knows how to get things done,” Kemp said in a 36-second YouTube Short video released Sunday night.
The endorsement aligns with President Donald Trump’s pick for Georgia governor.
Trump has been backing Jones since August, when he posted an endorsement on social media. The president has been promoting Jones in public telephone calls since then, each cast as a “tele-rally,” including one on Thursday.
Jones’ opponent, Rick Jackson, has run ads that some construed as promoting an endorsement by Kemp. Kemp subsequently posted a clarifying video on social media saying he had endorsed neither candidate.
Sunday’s post clarified where Kemp stands now.
Although Kemp and Trump are now aligned on their candidate for governor, the two leaders are at odds over who should win the GOP race for U.S. Senate.
Trump announced on social media just before 1 a.m. Sunday that he had decided to back U.S. Rep. Mike Collins as the GOP nominee who can take on incumbent Democrat U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff in November.
Kemp has been publicly backing Derek Dooley for about a year as his candidate to topple Ossoff, appearing with Dooley in August at Sanford Stadium before a University of Georgia football game.
In his Sunday YouTube video, Kemp, standing with his wife Marty, said Jones will give voters “a clear choice” this fall against the Democratic gubernatorial nominee, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms.
“Let’s get the vote out for Burt on Tuesday,” Marty Kemp said.
Jones said in a statement afterward that “it is my privilege today to receive his full endorsement.”
Democrats said in a statement that Kemp’s endorsement of Jones “adds even more chaos to this already-messy GOP primary.”
