Georgia Democrat Backing Trump Says He’s Stepping Down

Rep. Vernon Jones, a polarizing Democratic state lawmaker in Georgia, broke party ranks on to endorse President Donald Trump’s reelection.

David Goldman, File / Associated Press

A Democratic state lawmaker from Georgia who recently broke with his party to endorse President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he is stepping down from office.

Rep. Vernon Jones said in a statement that he won’t complete his term representing portions of metro Atlanta’s DeKalb and Rockdale counties in the state House. “I intend not to complete my term effective April 22, 2020,” Jones said, according to news outlets.

Jones announced in a video last week that he’s backing Trump because of the Republican president’s support for criminal justice reform and historically black colleges and universities.