Vernon Jones Falls Short in Georgia SOS Runoff as Fleming Clinches Victory

Vernon Jones, a high-profile election denier who switched from Democrat to Republican, lost the Georgia secretary of state runoff to state Rep. Tim Fleming. With 42% of vote tallies in, Fleming led about 65% to 35%. Fleming, aligned with Gov. Kemp and wary of endorsing Trump’s election lies, has pushed for tighter voting rules and backed paper-ballot measures, while Jones’ campaign leaned on Trump-era rhetoric from his “Stop the Steal” days and his self-styled “Black Donald Trump.” The race underscored intra-party tensions over election integrity and Georgia’s voting policy direction.