Mr. Jones Doesn’t Go To Washington

Well, every grift has to end sometime.

Today, my Schadenfreude is absolutely overflowing. I’ve written in the past about local embarrassment Vernon Jones. Having finally pissed off every Democrat in Dekalb County, GA, Vernon Jones breathed new life into his political career by climbing aboard the Trump train. This was a brilliant move because it allowed him to rebut every criticism with “You just can’t stand that I’m a black man who can’t be controlled by liberals!” Yeah, Vern. Because as a conservative woman there’s nothing more that I hate. But that’s today’s GOP for you. Doesn’t matter if you’re a lifelong Democrat with a history of lawsuits, racism, insults and credible charges of sexual assault. If you support Trump, you’re our guy! I was appalled that the national party was so enthralled that they gave him a prime speaking spot at the 2020 convention. But I was absolutely horrified at the prospect that he would be my next Congressman! Trump persuaded Jones to drop his long shot Gubernatorial campaign to clear the way for David Perdue (who would go on to lose the Republican primary by a whopping 50 points) in exchange for Trump’s endorsement in his Congressional race. But would local voters actually send this professional grifter to Washington?

Spoiler alert: NO. Ballots are still being counted as of this writing, but the race has already been called for Jones’ opponent Mike Collins (son of late Congressman Mack Collins.) Collins is beating Vernon Jones by a 3-1 margin and Jones has already conceded. So, not only do I not have to face the embarrassment of having Vernon Jones as my Congressman, I get to go to bed early.

And let me give a shoutout to my CURRENT Congressman Jody Hice, without whom tonight would not be possible. Hice threw away what would have been a lifetime seat in Congress to challenge GA’s incumbent Secretary of State Brad Raffensberger (at Trump’s behest) and shocked the nation by losing. Karma really is a bitch.

The hits keep coming for Trump because his OTHER high profile Congressional endorsement in GA’s 6th district Jake Evans has also lost to Rick McCormick in a similar landslide. I found it hysterical that my Trump loving friends who absolutely DESPISED Jake’s father, former Ambassador Randy Evans, nonetheless supported him because of Trump.

So, what’s my hot take on this? Why have GA Republicans defied the lure of the Trump endorsement? Well, I’m sure a lot of pundits with more insider knowledge than I have will run the numbers and come up with more complex answers, but from my view it comes down to this: the much coveted Trump endorsement may have a lot of value in a crowded field where many of the candidates have zero name recognition. It’s even more valuable in states without a runoff because a Trump candidate only needs a plurality instead of a majority. And thousands of Republicans will clearly vote for any asshole on the ballot that Trump endorsed (see above.) But most voters aren’t going to support someone they KNOW isn’t fit to hold office, especially if he’s running against an incumbent with a good Conservative record (like Governor Brian Kemp.) Plus, after the embarrassment of costing GA not one but TWO Republican Senate seats last year, Trump has avoided holding any rallies in the state. Without him on TV every night bashing Kemp and Raffensberger and praising Perdue/Hice/Jones/Evans, it was easier for Republican voters to ignore his endorsement. My personal favorite revelation from Sarah Longwell’s voter focus groups this year was that she asked Republicans their opinion of Jody Hice and many responded “Never heard of her.” Damn. That’s gonna leave a mark.

On a personal note: I would have been spared representation by Congressman Jones no matter how today’s election had turned out because I’ve been redistricted into GA’s 11th Congressional district. That means I will now be represented by the guy who has THIS campaign sign:

So, be careful what you wish for because it could always be worse.