Vernon Jones facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Vernon Jones
Jones in 2021
Member of the Georgia House of Representatives
In office January 9, 2017 – January 11, 2021
Preceded by	Dee Dawkins-Haigler
Succeeded by	Rhonda Taylor
Constituency	91st district
In office January 1, 1993 – January 1, 2001
Preceded by	Sidney Jones
Succeeded by	Walter Ronnie Sailor Jr.
Constituency	71st district
Chief Executive Officer of DeKalb County
In office January 1, 2001 – January 1, 2009
Preceded by	Liane Levetan
Succeeded by	Burrell Ellis
Personal details
Born	Vernon Angus Jones (1960-10-31) October 31, 1960 (age 64) Laurel Hill, North Carolina, U.S.
Political party	Republican (2021–present)
Other political affiliations	Democratic (before 2021)
Education	North Carolina Central University (BA)

Vernon Angus Jones (born October 31, 1960) is an American politician. He served in the Georgia House of Representatives for two different periods. First, he was a representative from 1993 to 2001. Later, he served again from 2017 to 2021.

In between his time in the Georgia House, Jones was the top leader for DeKalb County. He held the title of chief executive officer from 2001 to 2009. He has also tried to win elections for other important roles. These include the United States Senate, the United States House of Representatives, and Sheriff of DeKalb County.

Jones started his political journey as a member of the Democratic Party. However, he changed to the Republican Party in 2021. This change happened after he supported Donald Trump for president. He also spoke at the 2020 Republican National Convention.

Vernon Jones's Early Life and Work

Vernon Jones was born in Laurel Hill, North Carolina. He grew up on a farm in a country area of North Carolina. His father was a soldier in World War II and worked in a factory. His mother and brothers and sisters helped on the family farm. Vernon was the fifth of six children.

He went to North Carolina Central University in Durham, North Carolina. There, he joined the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. He earned a degree in business in 1983. Jones also took part in a special program at the John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Jones began his career in the phone and internet business. He worked for companies like MCI Communications and BellSouth Corporation. At BellSouth, he helped set up wireless communication in Montevideo, Uruguay. He has also served on several important local boards. These include the DeKalb Board of Health and the Atlanta Regional Commission.

His Time in Politics

Serving in the Georgia House of Representatives

Jones was first elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in 1992. He represented District SH 071. He served in this role from 1993 to 2001. During this time, he was part of several important committees. These included the Appropriations Committee and the Insurance Committee.

He also worked on the Health & Ecology Committee and the Banking Committee. Jones helped lead the Health Professions Subcommittee. One of the things he supported was a bill to remove the Confederate battle flag symbol from the Georgia State flag. He also supported a bill to stop young people from buying music with bad words. Jones did not run for re-election in 2000. Instead, he decided to run for DeKalb County CEO.

Leading DeKalb County

In 2000, Jones was elected as the chief executive officer of DeKalb County, Georgia. He won with 64% of the votes. He was elected again in 2004 with 54% of the votes. Jones was the first African American to be the CEO of DeKalb County.

During his time as CEO, DeKalb County started its first local Homeland Security Office in 2001. He also helped get Arabia Mountain recognized as a National Heritage Area. Jones was also key in creating DeKalb County's first economic development department. This department helped bring in a lot of new money for the county.

However, Jones's time as CEO also faced some challenges. He was criticized for changing his mind about a sales tax promise. He also vetoed pay raises for police officers. In 2005, he had to return some campaign money. He also paid a fine because of rules about campaign donations. Jones said that changes in election laws caused these issues.

Running for U.S. Senate in 2008

Jones ran for the U.S. Senate in 2008. He was running against the Republican, Saxby Chambliss. Jones described himself as a "conservative Democrat." This meant he believed in strict immigration laws and careful spending. He also supported gun rights and protecting the environment.

Jones faced some issues during his campaign. He used a picture that made it look like he was with Barack Obama. However, Obama said he had never posed with Jones and did not support him. Jones said his opponents were trying to hurt his campaign. He lost the election to Jim Martin in a run-off vote.

Other Elections He Ran In

In 2010, Jones tried to get elected to the United States House of Representatives. He ran for the 4th congressional district in Georgia, but he was not successful. In 2014, Jones ran for Sheriff of DeKalb County, Georgia. He lost to the person who was already Sheriff, Jeff Mann.

Back to the Georgia House

In 2016, Jones decided to run for the Georgia House of Representatives again. This time, he ran for House District 91. He won the election in November 2016. This meant he was back in the Georgia House.

Supporting Donald Trump and Changing Parties

On April 14, 2020, Jones became the first elected Democratic official in Georgia to support President Donald Trump's re-election. Jones said he was not planning to change political parties at first. He liked Trump's work with the economy and his support for historically black colleges. He also liked Trump's criminal justice programs.

Georgia Democrats quickly disagreed with Jones's support for Trump. Many of them supported someone else to run against Jones. Jones spoke at the 2020 Republican National Convention in August 2020. He again said he supported Trump.

On January 6, 2021, Jones spoke at a rally in Washington D.C. He said he strongly supported President Donald J. Trump. He also announced that he was changing his political party from Democrat to Republican. After this rally, some protesters went into the United States Capitol Building.

Running for Governor in 2022

In April 2021, Jones said he planned to run for Governor of Georgia in 2022. He wanted to run against the current Republican governor, Brian Kemp. He made his announcement with Rudy Giuliani and Bernard Kerik. This happened after Donald Trump had criticized Governor Kemp.

Jones was behind Governor Kemp and former Senator David Perdue in the polls. In February 2022, Jones announced he was stopping his campaign. He then supported David Perdue for governor.

Running for U.S. House in 2022

After stopping his campaign for governor, Jones announced he would run for the United States House of Representatives. He ran for Georgia's 10th congressional district. Former President Donald Trump supported him in this race. Jones promised that if he won, he would try to remove President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris from office.

In May 2022, Jones came in second place in the primary election. He ran against Mike Collins. Neither candidate won more than half of the votes. So, they had a second election, called a runoff, in June 2022. Jones lost this runoff election to Mike Collins.

What Vernon Jones Believes In

During his 2008 Senate campaign, Jones said he was a "conservative Democrat." He believed in strong immigration laws and spending money wisely. He also supported the right to own guns and protecting the environment. He said he was against same-sex marriage.

Jones stated that he voted for George W. Bush in 2004. He supported Barack Obama in 2008. In 2014, Jones said he believed in a smaller government. He also supported safety for all citizens, balanced budgets, and fair elections. He also wanted to create more jobs. Jones was the only Democrat to support a bill that would allow people to carry hidden guns on Georgia's college campuses.