Vernon Jones, a former Democrat turned Republican who served several terms in the state House and as DeKalb County CEO, is running for secretary of state.

Jones served in the state House of Representative from 1993 to 2001 and again from 2017 to 2021. He was also DeKalb CEO from 2001 to 2009.

Jones began his political career as a Democrat but switched to the Republican Party in 2021 after endorsing Donald Trump for re-election and speaking at the 2020 Republican National Convention. He has also made unsuccessful runs for the U.S. Senate and House, and DeKalb County sheriff.

Also in this week’s show:

• The historic partial government shutdown ended this week.
• A new prosecutor has been named in President Donald Trump’s historic Georgia election indictment.
• President Trump pardoned more than 70 alternate electors involved in his alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 general election.
• A special election is set for next Tuesday to replace Jason Esteves, who resigned the position to run for Georgia governor.

On The Record is a weekly political show hosted by Atlanta News First anchor Rick Folbaum and political reporter Doug Reardon. It airs every Sunday at 11 a.m. on Atlanta News First.

The program, which can also be seen on Atlanta News First’s website and all of its streaming and podcasting platforms, features extensive interviews with Atlanta’s and Georgia’s most influential political leaders, newsmakers and analysts.