Jones joined other senators in December on an amicus brief supporting Texas’ unsuccessful attempt to have results overturned in Georgia and other states — and had his Senate chairmanship stripped as a result.

In June, he participated in a “walk through” of ballot review stations during a Republican-backed review of Joe Biden’s victory in Arizona. He has courted an endorsement from Trump, traveling to the former president’s Mar-a-Lago compound this spring.

Though Trump hasn’t weighed in, Trump earlier this summer ruled out supporting state Senate Pro Tem Butch Miller, a Republican also running for lieutenant governor. Trump called on “strong and effective” challengers to enter the Republican primary.

Miller has secured wide financial support for his candidacy, reporting raising nearly $2 million in the five weeks after entering the race. Republican activist Jeanne Seaver also announced her intent to run for the office earlier this year.

Jones has elevated his profile in Republican circles since the 2020 election through his promotion of Trump’s false claims of widespread voter fraud that the former president said cost him the election in Georgia. Jones also was recently honored by Georgia Republican Party Chair David Shafer with a “Warrior Award,” citing his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

— AJC staff writer Greg Bluestein contributed to this report in Rome.