Vernon Jones, Georgia Dem-turned-Republican, to challenge Kemp for governor's seat

A former Democratic state lawmaker in Georgia, who switched to the GOP after backing then-President Trump’s reelection bid, on Friday is announcing a 2022 Republican primary challenge against Gov. Brian Kemp, who sits high atop the former president’s list of political targets.

Trump has vowed to return to Georgia to campaign against Kemp when he’s up for reelection next year, to punish his onetime ally for refusing to help the then-president’s efforts last year to overturn the election results in Georgia. President Biden edged Trump in Georgia by less than 12,000 votes, becoming the first Democrat to carry the state in the White House race in over a quarter-century. The ballots in Georgia were counted three times — the original Election Day count, a mandatory hand recount and a recount requested by the president's campaign.