One of Georgia‘s leading candidates for governor, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones (R-GA), was called in for jury duty at a rather inconvenient time on Monday: just one day before Election Day in his gubernatorial primary.
Jones, who is endorsed by President Donald Trump, spent his time on the eve of the primary in Butts County Judicial Center awaiting his juror number while his primary opponents finished up their final campaign stops.
“Trump-endorsed Lt. Governor Burt Jones shows up and leads by example,” Jones campaign spokeswoman Kayla Lott said in a statement to the Washington Examiner. “Whether it’s as Lieutenant Governor, as a father, as a husband or as a citizen reporting for jury duty the day before an election — Burt Jones shows up. That’s the kind of Governor Georgia deserves.”
The untimely jury duty call comes as Jones is running in the crowded GOP primary to replace term-limited Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA) against businessman Rick Jackson, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, and state Attorney General Chris Carr.
Polling in the race has shown Jackson, a billionaire MAGA-hardliner running as a political outsider, narrowly leading Jones. But a Trump endorsement could go a long way for voters in the Peach State, which Trump won in 2024. The president’s endorsement power has proved consequential in Republican primaries so far this year, with the next tests to come in Georgia and a Kentucky House primary between Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Trump-backed Ed Gallrein.
The Georgia gubernatorial race seems down to the wire, with the early voting crowd showing up in record numbers.
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT GEORGIA’S PRIMARY ELECTIONS
On the Democratic side, the primary race for the gubernatorial nomination is also jam-packed. Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms is leading in the polls, with former Republican Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, former state Sen. Jason Esteves, and former DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond trailing behind her.
Polls in Georgia are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday.