Jones lays groundwork for 2026 campaign

His widely anticipated announcement that he’ll be running for the Republican nomination for Georgia governor in the 2026 election remains unofficial, but in the meantime, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones is consistently keeping tabs on constituent concerns around the state.

That dynamic was present in Monroe on Monday, as Jones’ North Georgia Field Director Luke Hetland hosted an “Open Office Hours” event at the Walton County Historic Courthouse in Monroe.

Hetland has been with Jones’ office since the lieutenant governor’s inauguration in 2023. Jones was elected lieutenant governor after service in the state Senate that included representing part of Walton County.

Hetland is a graduate of Winder-Barrow High School, with a degree in political science from the University of Georgia. The 26-year-old already has an impressive resume in the political realm, with work on two Georgia congressional campaigns and a political action committee before his work with the lieutenant governor.

Monday’s even in Monroe was sparsely attended, with just one couple coming in to talk with Hetland – and, by extension, the lieutenant governor – about their concerns regarding Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.

Willis’ election interference case against President Donald Trump has drawn consistent criticism from Republican quarters. Recently, a new state commission created to investigate allegedly “rogue” prosecutors dismissed a complaint that Willis had failed to comply with the Georgia Open Records Act.

The couple said after their conversation with Hetland that he said he would pass their concerns along to the lieutenant governor.

Hetland speculated that one reason for the sparse attendance at Monday’s outreach event was the fact that residents of the state’s more rural counties, like Walton, are more likely to know their local elected officials, and are able easily to speak with them. 

While political concerns of constituents do surface at Jones’ open office hours events, it’s just as likely that Hetland and his south Georgia counterpart will hear constituent complaints and concerns about Social Security, Georgia Department of Family and Children Services cases, and even strictly local issues with government agencies, Hetland said.

Lately, according to Hetland, the range of issues brought up at open office hours has “been all over the place.”

In addition to constituent service, the open office hours provide Hetland with an opportunity to gauge those constituents’ concerns and frustrations, and to let Jones know what issues, including specific pieces of legislation, are generating pushback.

Routinely, Hetland will be working across Georgia’s northern half for four days each week, throughout the year, to assist constituents with their issues and problems. When he’s not directly engaged with open office hours, he’s attending local civic and government meetings to strengthen relationships between those local officials and local voices and the lieutenant governor’s office.

“It’s really cool to see all the different communities,” Hetland said, sitting in the courtroom of the historic courthouse in downtown Monroe waiting for people to walk into the open office hours event, held from 10 a.m. to noon Monday.

“It’s just good to go and talk and get to know the people who are leading the community,” Hetland added.

One of Hetland’s strategies for the open office hours events that he hosts on behalf of Jones is to invite local officials to attend, to get constituents face-to-face with the people that can immediately address their local problems.

And as it happened, Walton County Commission Chairman David Thompson popped into the Monday event in time to talk with the couple who were there to talk with Hetland about Willis. An informal conversation ensued, in which Thompson had a chance to give the couple a friendly tutorial on local water supply issues, property taxes, and the influx of data centers in the southern end of the county. 

Jones, as well as other would-be statewide candidates, will officially qualify next spring with the 2026 primary set for May.

All statewide offices will be on next year’s ballot with the race for governor leading the charge. Current Georgia Governor Brian Kemp is term-limited and will not be able to seek a third term. Kemp has said he will not run for U.S Senate.