Burt Jones
Burt Jones | |
|---|---|
| Born | William Burton Jones April 25, 1979 Jackson, Georgia, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, politician |
| Years active | 2004–present |
| Known for | 13th Lieutenant Governor of Georgia, member of Georgia State Senate (2013–2023) |
William Burton Jones (born April 25, 1979) is an American entrepreneur and political figure currently holding the position of the 13th Lieutenant Governor of Georgia since 2023. Affiliated with the Republican Party, he served as the State Senator for Georgia's 25th District from January 2013 until January 2023.
Personal life
Jones hails from Jackson, Georgia and is a sixth-generation resident of the state.
Education
He completed his high school education at Woodward Academy in 1998 and subsequently obtained a bachelor's degree in history from the University of Georgia in 2002. During his time at UGA, Jones was co-captain of the 2002 Georgia Bulldogs football team, which secured the SEC Championship—their first title in two decades.
Business career
Jones is an oil industry executive and heir to the family-owned Jones Petroleum Company. In 2004, he established JP Capital & Insurance, Inc., an insurance and lending branch affiliated with Jones Petroleum Co., headquartered in Jackson, Georgia.
Butts County Water & Sewage Authority
From 2009 through 2021, Jones was a member of the board for the Butts County Water and Sewage Authority. Upon his exit, his father, Bill Jones, took over his position on the board. While serving, Jones voted in favor of raising water and sewer fees.
Georgia State Senate
In June 2012, Jones declared his candidacy to challenge three-term incumbent State Senator Johnny Grant. Campaigning as an outsider businessman, he won the Republican Primary with 52.7% of the vote compared to Grant’s 47.3%.
After winning election in 2012 and assuming office in 2013, Jones led both the Insurance and Labor Committee as well as the Banking & Financial Institutions Committee. Additionally, he held membership on the Appropriations and Transportation Committees. His legislative priorities included advocating for a flat income tax rate, opposing teachings on systemic racism within schools, and co-sponsoring bills that allowed for biblical instruction in high schools.
Endorsement of Donald J. Trump for president
In 2015, Jones distinguished himself as the first member of Georgia’s General Assembly to publicly support businessman Donald J. Trump during the 2016 Republican Presidential Primary. He commended Trump’s forthright leadership approach, noting its appeal to voters desiring strong and decisive governance.
Advocacy for adoptable dogs
In 2016, Jones collaborated with State Representative Joe Wilkinson to advance Senate Bill 168, which sought to officially recognize the "adoptable dog" as Georgia’s state dog, despite resistance from certain Republican members. He has been a strong proponent of boosting financial support for animal shelters and programs dedicated to rescuing abused dogs throughout Georgia.
Protection of religious expression
Jones sponsored Senate Bill 309 in 2016, granting student athletes the right to openly express their religious beliefs during sporting events and permitting state-funded high schools to compete against schools outside their assigned conferences. Governor Nathan Deal enacted this legislation on May 3, 2016. According to Jones, the law safeguards freedom of belief expression while enhancing competitive opportunities for athletes statewide.
Efforts to challenge 2020 presidential election outcome
While numerous Georgia Republicans accepted Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 presidential election, Jones rejected the results and propagated baseless allegations of election fraud. In December 2020, he was one of four Republican state senators who formally requested the Georgia General Assembly to overturn the certified election results and appoint electors favoring Donald Trump. Governor Brian Kemp declined this appeal.
On January 5, 2021, Jones joined 16 other legislators in an attempt to postpone the U.S. Senate's certification of electoral votes; however, after a private meeting with Vice President Mike Pence, they ultimately refrained from submitting their letter. Following these events, Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan removed Jones from his committee assignments in the Senate due to his stance denying the election outcome.
Throughout 2021, Jones persisted in disputing Georgia’s presidential election results and appeared at a pro-Trump rally promoting unfounded claims of fraud. In January 2022, the Department of Justice initiated a criminal inquiry into Jones’s role as a false elector who allegedly forged electoral certificates after the election.
By July 2022, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis issued target letters warning Jones and others about potential indictments connected to the fake electors scheme. Nevertheless, Judge Robert McBurney barred Willis from prosecuting Jones because of conflicts related to her political activities.
On August 14, 2023, Jones was identified as unindicted co-conspirator number eight in the Fulton County indictment against Donald Trump and associates for attempts to overturn the 2020 election results. In April 2024, the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia announced an investigation into whether criminal charges should be filed against him.
Campaign for lieutenant governor
Jones declared his intention to seek the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor in August 2021. Throughout his campaign, he questioned the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election and secured an endorsement from former President Donald Trump. Additionally, Jones voiced support for same-sex marriage.
In 2022, the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission penalized Jones $1,000 for releasing a campaign video prior to submitting mandatory paperwork. Between February and May of that year, he utilized his family’s private aircraft for campaign purposes without promptly reporting associated expenses as required by state law; his campaign later indicated these costs would be disclosed following the primary.
During the May 2022 Republican primary, Jones narrowly avoided a runoff by winning with 50.1% of the vote, defeating Butch Miller and other contenders. He carried 153 out of Georgia’s 159 counties. In the November general election, Jones secured victory over Democratic candidate Charlie Bailey by a margin of five percent and was officially sworn into office on January 9, 2023.
Lieutenant Governor
Following his inauguration, Jones presented his legislative priorities for 2023, emphasizing increased investment in K-12 school counseling services, the elimination of state income tax, and the preservation of abortion restrictions established by the 2019 statute. Throughout budget discussions, he pushed for regulatory adjustments to permit counties with populations under 50,000 to construct hospitals without the need for expensive state certificates of need. This proposal included a potential hospital development in Butts County—Jones’ hometown—on property owned by his father. Nevertheless, this measure was ultimately removed from the state budget, which the Senate approved on March 29, 2023.
Criticism of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Initiatives
Jones raised concerns about the University System of Georgia’s expenditures on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives in correspondence addressed to Chancellor Sonny Perdue. Highlighting worries over possible tuition hikes and program reductions amid a $66 million cut in state funding for higher education in 2023, he requested detailed information on the allocation of resources within the university system. This inquiry was consistent with a wider effort to scrutinize budgetary allocations impacting postsecondary education.
The Riley Gaines Act
During the 2025 Legislative Session, Jones collaborated with Senator Greg Dolezal to promote Senate Bill 1, commonly referred to as The Riley Gaines Act. This legislation emerged from findings by the Senate Special Committee on the Protection of Women’s Sports and aims to safeguard female athletic programs.
The act prohibits transgender student-athletes from participating in women’s sports teams and mandates that restrooms and locker rooms be designated according to sex assigned at birth. With the enactment of this law, Georgia became one of 26 states enforcing similar protections for women’s athletics.
Following Governor Brian Kemp’s signing of SB 1 into law, Jones remarked,
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