Burt Jones, the leading Republican candidate for governor in Georgia, highlights his significant efforts to support Donald J. Trump’s challenge of the 2020 election results. He considers these actions as commendable accomplishments.

In campaign speeches, Jones makes a point of discussing his role. Recently, while speaking at a gun store in suburban Atlanta, he remarked, “You’ve got to think back to who was standing up—who was in the ditch, in the foxhole—with everybody when we were fighting in 2020.”

Jones, bolstered by Trump’s endorsement, emerged as the top candidate in the initial round of Georgia’s Republican primary for governor. He now faces a runoff election on June 16 against Rick Jackson, a prominent pro-Trump billionaire.

Jones’s involvement in the 2020 election efforts remains a significant part of his political identity. During the presidential election period six years ago, he was a key player among state officials in attempts to keep Trump in office.

The New York Times examined the extent of Jones’s activities. This involved reviewing thousands of files from state and federal investigations. These files included public documents and leaked discovery material from the unsuccessful criminal case in Georgia against Trump and his associates.

The records illustrate that after the election, Jones, serving as a state senator, collaborated closely with the Trump campaign. He communicated directly with Trump himself, who praised Jones at a 2020 rally by saying he was “in my pocket.”