William Burton “Burt” Jones, a Jackson businessman and heir to Jones Petroleum, served in the state Senate (District 25) from 2013 to 2023 and was elected Georgia’s 13th lieutenant governor in 2022. A close Trump ally, he presides over the state Senate and pushed an agenda of income-tax elimination, school choice, and culture-war bills before a 2026 run for governor.
Office & background
- Lieutenant Governor of Georgia (2023–present)
- Georgia State Senate, District 25 (2013–2023)
Campaign finance — who funds them
$1,107,177 raised · $32,739 cash on hand
- $16,800Blue Line Solutions, LLC (Chattanooga, TN)
- $13,000Public Service Communications Inc. (Reynolds, GA)
- $10,000Sunshine Gasoline Distributors, Inc. (Doral, FL)
- $10,000Marvin K. Hewatt (Lawrenceville, GA)
- $8,400GPhA PAC, Inc (PharmPAC) (Sandy Springs, GA)
- $8,400Georgia Power Company State Employee PAC Inc. (Atlanta, GA)
Finance as of Jun 28, 2026 — latest GA Ethics filing (2026 Apr 30 CCDR).
Source: Georgia Government Transparency & Campaign Finance Commission (PeachFile)
Where they stand
A longtime school-choice advocate, Jones championed the Georgia Promise Scholarship (SB 233) — up to ~$6,500 in vouchers for students in low-performing zones — and pushed SB 152 (2025) to extend eligibility to foster and adopted children.
Source: Lt. Gov. office — Promise Scholarship Marketplace · AJC — Jones would open voucher plan to foster familiesOpposes traditional Medicaid expansion, favoring instead deregulation to draw doctors to rural “healthcare deserts” and an end to no-bid contracts; he has at times floated an Arkansas-style plan that buys private marketplace coverage.
Source: AJC — Where Burt Jones stands on the issues · AJC — Jones considers Medicaid expansionNo public statement endorsing or opposing a minimum-wage change was found; his economic pitch centers on eliminating Georgia’s personal income tax, which he frames as effectively “a 5% raise for every Georgian.”
Source: AJC — Where Burt Jones stands on the issuesHis homelessness focus has been on veterans — he secured $7.5 million in the 2026 budget to combat veteran homelessness. As Senate president he presided over (but did not sponsor) HB 295, letting property owners sue local governments over unenforced anti-camping rules.
Source: Lt. Gov. office — ending veteran homelessness · PBS NewsHour — GA encampment-lawsuit billLed the 2025 push (HB 266) to fully exempt military retirement income from state income tax, and secured $7.5 million to combat veteran homelessness in the 2026 budget.
Source: Lt. Gov. office — military retirement taxCalls himself one of Georgia’s most aggressive immigration-enforcement leaders — backed banning “sanctuary” policies and requiring sheriffs to cooperate with federal authorities, and joined Trump at the January 2025 Laken Riley Act signing.
Source: AJC — Where Burt Jones stands · Lt. Gov. office — Laken Riley Act ceremonyA strong Second Amendment supporter; backed 2024 legislation barring collection of firearm-retailer transaction data. Georgia enacted permitless “constitutional carry” (SB 319) in 2022 while he served in the Senate.
Source: Lt. Gov. office — 2A measureAnti-abortion; reaffirms support for Georgia’s 2019 “heartbeat” law (the LIFE Act) banning most abortions after ~six weeks, and emphasizes post-birth supports (pregnancy centers, adoption/foster reform) over further restrictions.
Source: NRI Pulse — Jones runoff debate positionsMade SB 1, the “Riley Gaines Act” banning transgender girls and women from female school and college sports, his top 2025 priority, saying “biological men do not belong in women’s sports.” Kemp signed it in April 2025.
Source: Georgia Recorder — trans-sports billOpposes DEI programs in public education; requested a tally of DEI spending across Georgia’s 26 public colleges and, as Senate president, ruled opponents’ amendments out of order during the 2025 anti-DEI debate.
Source: Georgia Recorder — Senate DEI ban · Capitol Beat — anti-DEI education billSupported medical-marijuana access, voting yes on HB 324 to authorize sale of low-THC medical cannabis oil; has not endorsed recreational legalization.
Source: VoteSmart — Jones marijuana votesSays ratepayers “should not foot the bill” for data centers’ energy demand and backed 2026 legislation to end data-center tax subsidies. Critics note a potential conflict — his family holds an interest in a development courting data centers — and the broader restraint bills failed to pass in 2026.
Source: AJC — Jones tax-break / income-tax planAccountability
Scandals
Reported controversies, charges & ethics matters · past decade
One of Georgia's 2020 “fake electors”; named an unindicted co-conspirator
Established conduct; no charges filed. Jones signed the false elector certificate and was named unindicted “co-conspirator #8” in the 2023 Fulton County RICO case. A judge had disqualified DA Fani Willis from investigating him in 2022 after she held a fundraiser for his opponent. In September 2024, court-appointed special prosecutor Pete Skandalakis declined to bring charges, concluding Jones acted on attorney advice without criminal intent. Jones was never indicted or convicted.After the 2020 election, Burt Jones — then a state senator, now lieutenant governor — was one of 16 Georgia Republicans who signed an unofficial certificate falsely declaring themselves Donald Trump's presidential electors. He was named as unindicted “co-conspirator #8” in the 2023 Fulton County election-interference indictment, but a Fulton judge barred DA Fani Willis from pursuing him after she headlined a fundraiser for his Democratic opponent. The matter was handed to special prosecutor Pete Skandalakis, who announced in September 2024 that he would not charge Jones, finding he had relied on lawyers' advice and lacked criminal intent.
Each item is drawn from published reporting or official records, with sources listed. Where a matter was dismissed, settled, withdrawn, or remains pending, that disposition is noted; allegations are identified as such, and inclusion does not imply a finding of guilt. Corrections are welcome via the contact link below.
