Joe Walsh, the former Republican congressman turned Trump critic, says Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones may have just handed Democrats the opening they needed to flip the governor's office after a recording surfaced of Jones saying he supports banning all abortions.
In what appears to be a 2022 GOP debate, Jones is seen agreeing with others that abortion should be banned entirely, as opposed to endorsing a six-week heartbeat bill.
"Wow, this'll get Georgia Democrats licking their chops," Walsh wrote on X, reacting to the tape of Jones, who is considered the leading GOP candidate for governor. "Here's Lt. Gov Burt Jones, the leading GOP candidate for Governor, on tape saying he's for banning all abortions."
Walsh, who has made a point of calling out Republicans he believes are out of step with the broader electorate, was blunt about the political damage. "That ain't gonna play well," he wrote. "It won't play well with Georgia voters at all. This is how Georgia goes blue."
Georgia has become one of the most competitive states in the country over the past several election cycles, with Democrats carrying it at the presidential level in 2020 and winning two Senate seats. Abortion has been a driving issue for Democrats since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, helping the party outperform expectations in multiple cycles.
Jones has not yet responded publicly to the resurfaced remarks. His position, if it becomes central to the governor's race, would put him well to the right of most Georgia voters on an issue that has repeatedly proven costly for Republican candidates in competitive states.