US Democratic lawmaker Vernon Jones on Thursday announced that he would retract his resignation as a Georgia state Representative over his reelection endorsement of US President Donald Trump.
“I will not allow the Democrats to bully me into submission,” Jones tweeted. “I will not let them win. I will NOT resign”.
In a video posted with his tweet, the lawmaker stated that he would stay in office for the remainder of his term, expected to end January 2021, claiming that this decision came after receiving “emotional” and “motivational” support from his constituency.
Yesterday, I announced my intentions to resign from my office. But shortly thereafter, the outpour of support I received was too great for me to ignore.
— Vernon Jones (@RepVernonJones) April 23, 2020
I will not allow the Democrats to bully me into submission. I will not let them win.
I will NOT resign. #MAGA pic.twitter.com/gR2MsU5Rb3
“I thought about it, and I talked to my family, and I talked to my supporters. Because of what you did for me, I am going to remain on the battlefield,” the Georgia Democrat said. “I am going to complete my term. I am going to continue to put my country before my party, and I’m going to do everything I can to get Donald J. Trump reelected”.
Jones said that he made his decision after receiving a “barrage of attacks and name-calling by the far left in the Democratic Party”.
He said that he would “continue to put my country before my party”, declaring Trump to be “the man” for the job of president of the United States.
On Wednesday, the Democrat announced he would resign from the Georgia House of Representatives, due to backlash from his endorsement of Trump.
On 14 April, Jones' announcement shocked his party, as he became the only Democratic official in Georgia to endorse Trump for reelection. He suggested that “Trump’s handling of the economy, his support for historically black colleges and his criminal justice initiatives” drew him to endorse the Republican president.
Georgia’s Democratic Party leader, Nikema Williams, slammed the lawmaker’s move, noting that “Vernon Jones doesn’t speak for Georgians, and neither does Donald Trump — which is why Georgians will send him home in November 2020”.
