Georgia Republican Burt Jones enters the 2026 governor's race by lending himself $10 million

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia Republican Burt Jones made his long-telegraphed entry into the 2026 governor's race on Tuesday, touting his ties with President Donald Trump and pledging to eliminate Georgia's state income tax in a campaign video.

"I don't back down from tough fights — I step up to deliver results — and that's exactly what I'll continue doing as governor,” Jones said in a statement.

Jones lent his campaign $10 million as he joined Attorney General Chris Carr as the top GOP candidates in the race. Gov. Brian Kemp can't run again because of term limits. Other Republican candidates who could enter the race include Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.

Republicans are trying to hold onto a governor's chair that they have won in every election since 2002, even as Georgia has elected two Democratic U.S. senators and has become among the nation's most competitive states at the presidential level. Democrats seeking to end that dominance include former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, state Sen. Jason Esteves and state Rep. Derrick Jackson.

Jones was among the first Republicans in Georgia to endorse Trump before the 2016 election. He was one of 16 state Republicans who signed certificates stating that Trump had won Georgia in 2020 and declaring themselves the state’s “duly elected and qualified” electors even though Democrat Joe Biden had been declared the state’s winner. Jones also pushed for a special session in Georgia aimed at overturning Biden's narrow win in the state. Prosecutors considered filing criminal charges against Jones, but they rejected the move, concluding Jones did not act with criminal intent.

Jones touted that peril as proof that he is an authentic supporter of Trump in a speech at the state Republican convention last month in Dalton.

“I’ve been the Trump guy since 2015, not ’16," Jones said. "I’ve taken all the battle scars and everything else. I know who ran and hid during 2020 and everything else. The circle is small.”

Carr and Raffensperger both have taken fire from Trump over their refusal to back moves to overturn the 2020 election. However, if Greene enters the race, it could scramble the race for Trump's core voters in the primary.

As lieutenant governor, Jones has presided over a heavily Republican state Senate that has pursued an aggressive brand of conservative policy that has often been watered down or rejected by the more moderate state House. Democrats say they will make that sharp-edged right-wing agenda an issue in the race.

“Jones’ partisan, disastrous record could not be more out-of-touch with Georgians ” Democratic Governors Association spokesperson Kevin Donohoe said in a statement Tuesday.

But Jones has also pursued a set of initiatives aimed at children and families that could have more appeal to the broader electorate, including a substantial child tax credit that Kemp signed into law this year.

“What do I call all that we’ve accomplished together? Just a start,” Jones said in the video. “Because our work’s not done yet. And that’s why I’m running for governor.”

Jones pledged to “completely eliminate the state income tax,” said he would seek the death penalty for people illegally selling the drug fentanyl, and touted his support for maintaining Georgia's ban on transgender girls in girls' sports.

The 46-year-old Jones is heir to a large petroleum distribution business and founder of an insurance agency. He lives in Jackson, southeast of Atlanta, and served 10 years in the state Senate before winning election as lieutenant governor in 2022.

Jones said his leadership committee had $14.3 million in cash on hand, including $10 million that Jones lent himself. A leadership committee is an unusual fundraising vehicle that allows the lieutenant governor, governor and legislative leaders to raise unlimited campaign contributions, even while legislators are meeting.

Most other officials, including Carr, can only raise limited amounts and can't cash checks during legislative sessions. Carr's campaign has already signaled it will renew court challenges to leadership committees if Jones tries to spend that cash on the governor's race.

Jones hopes that money, as well as his Trump ties, will help cast him as the front-runner. But although Jones and Carr have differences, they both are making the same appeal, that Georgians should continue electing Republicans to run things.

“We've had a great run here in this state, and there’s nothing but opportunity in front of us,” Jones said at the Republican convention. “But we've got to keep good leadership.”

FILE - Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones speaks at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, Oct. 15, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Richard “Dick” Codey, a former acting governor of New Jersey and the longest serving legislator in the state's history, died Sunday. He was 79.

Codey’s wife, Mary Jo Codey, confirmed her husband’s death to The Associated Press.

“Gov. Richard J. Codey passed away peacefully this morning at home, surrounded by family, after a brief illness,” Codey's family wrote in a Facebook post on Codey's official page.

"Our family has lost a beloved husband, father and grandfather -- and New Jersey lost a remarkable public servant who touched the lives of all who knew him," the family said.

Known for his feisty, regular-guy persona, Codey was a staunch advocate of mental health awareness and care issues. The Democrat also championed legislation to ban smoking from indoor areas and sought more money for stem cell research.

Codey, the son of a northern New Jersey funeral home owner, entered the state Assembly in 1974 and served there until he was elected to the state Senate in 1982. He served as Senate president from 2002 to 2010.

Codey first served as acting governor for a brief time in 2002, after Christine Todd Whitman’s resignation to join President George W. Bush’s administration. He held the post again for 14 months after Gov. Jim McGreevey resigned in 2004.

At that time, New Jersey law mandated that the Senate president assume the governor’s role if a vacancy occurred, and that person would serve until the next election.

Codey routinely drew strong praise from residents in polls, and he gave serious consideration to seeking the Democratic nomination for governor in 2005. But he ultimately chose not to run when party leaders opted to back wealthy Wall Street executive Jon Corzine, who went on to win the office.

Codey would again become acting governor after Corzine was incapacitated in April 2007 due to serious injuries he suffered in a car accident. He held the post for nearly a month before Corzine resumed his duties.

After leaving the governor’s office, Codey returned to the Senate and also published a memoir that detailed his decades of public service, along with stories about his personal and family life.

“He lived his life with humility, compassion and a deep sense of responsibility to others,” his family wrote. “He made friends as easily with Presidents as he did with strangers in all-night diners.”

Codey and his wife often spoke candidly about her past struggles with postpartum depression, and that led to controversy in early 2005, when a talk radio host jokingly criticized Mary Jo and her mental health on the air.

Codey, who was at the radio station for something else, confronted the host and said he told him that he wished he could “take him outside.” But the host claimed Codey actually threatened to “take him out,” which Codey denied.

His wife told The Associated Press that Codey was willing to support her speaking out about postpartum depression, even if it cost him elected office.

“He was a really, really good guy,” Mary Jo Codey said. “He said, ‘If you want to do it, I don’t care if I get elected again.’”

Jack Brook contributed reporting from New Orleans.

FILE - New Jersey State Sen. and former Democratic Gov. Richard Codey is seen before New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy delivers his State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature at the statehouse, in Trenton, N.J., Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)