It’s a boost to the incumbent lieutenant governor’s effort to set himself up as the 2026 frontrunner for the GOP nomination.

Trump announced the nod Monday, noting Jones was among the first Georgia Republicans to endorse Trump’s first bid for the White House in 2016 and saying Jones “worked tirelessly to help us win” in all three of Trump’s bids.

“He has been with us from the very beginning,” Trump wrote on social media. “I know his family well and have seen Burt tested at the most difficult levels and times.”

Republicans including Attorney General Chris Carr are vying with Jones to be their party’s nominee to succeed Gov. Brian Kemp, who can’t run again because of term limits. Other Republican candidates who could enter the race include Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.

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