It’s Gettin’ Chippy On Twitter, and Vernon Jones Is In The Middle Of It.
Let me not bury the lede here. This happened today on The Twitters:
What’s going on here? Well, Mike Collins and Vernon Jones are in a runoff for the 10th Congressional seat. It’s a heavily Republican seat, so who wins this runoff will almost certainly defeat the Democratic nominate. Jones, as you know, is the former DeKalb Democrat who switched parties, became a MAGA Superstar, and now has the endorsement of former President Trump. Collins is the son of former Congressman Mac Collins and has run for this seat before, having lost to Jody Hice, when Hice was first elected to Congress.
Collins has been hitting Jones hard, as seen by the tweet from Collins above about rape whistles. This is a not so subtle reference to allegations about Jones’ shall we say, checkered past. One Collins mailpiece was so hard hitting it drew harsh criticism from WSB’s Shelley Wynter, who called it racist.
This is the backdrop to the tweets posted above.
Earlier today Vernon Jones posted this tweet, to which Nicole Rodden (who briefly ran for Congress herself in 2020) responded to, and the two got into a back and forth that escalated until it reached the tweet posted above. Rodden went on to say that another woman contacted her with her own story about Jones’ inappropriate behavior. I don’t know for sure, but perhaps it was Jinnie Christensen, whose tweet is also posted above.
What to make of this? Some Republican voters have moved character down their list of important things to consider when choosing a candidate. They are looking for someone who will fight for things they consider important. I get that. For far too long Republicans sent folks to Washington who seemingly forgot why they were there, or the issues important to the people who elected them. Republican voters these days want fighters.
While I understand the impulse to vote for the loudest voice, let me caution Republican primary voters. There is a very good chance the GOP will take control of the Congress as a result of this year’s elections. Now is not the time to send people to Washington who aren’t capable and serious people, who will avoid the lure of political stardom and instead get stuff done. Georgia has already decided to send some unserious people up there already. But voters in the 10th can avoid that mistake.
If I lived in the 10th, these tweets today would give me pause. The past allegations are bad enough, but these tweets make me wonder if the objectionable behavior continues, and will continue should he be sent to Washington. These tweets, along with the votes he cast while in the State House as recently as 2019, that contradict his 2022 campaign rhetoric, would make it impossible for me to cast a vote for him. I hope a majority of voters in the 10th will agree with me.
