Introduction and Memorial Day Reflection
Hey folks, how are you today? Good Saturday morning. We are back, and I’m your host, BKP. You are watching BKP Politics on Voice of Rural America. We are doing a Facebook Live today to go with our Substack post. Next week, after we get through a couple of days, we will start getting our broadcasts back on Rumble Live and YouTube Live, but for right now, we are working on Facebook.
Before we dive into the politics of the day—specifically the Secretary of State race—I want to take a moment to reflect on the upcoming holiday. Monday is Memorial Day. As we remember and honor the ones who gave all and sacrificed everything, we must recognize that their sacrifice is the very reason I can look you in the eye on this camera today. They protected my freedom of speech and protected our entire way of life. Remember that this Monday. It doesn’t bother me at all that people get the cookout going. Have your hot dogs and hamburgers, and get the boat out on the lake. All of that is completely fine. But please, remember the true reason why we get together on Memorial Day.
The Governor’s Office and the Stakes for 2026
I wanted to wait a couple of days for the political landscape to develop before talking about the Secretary of State race. Last Tuesday was the primary here in Georgia. We now know that Keisha Lance Bottoms is the outright Democratic nominee for governor, while Rick Jackson and Burt Jones are headed to a Republican runoff to determine who will challenge her.
But to understand the path forward, we have to look a little further down the ticket. Let me remind you of something right out of the gate: I did not create this system. I hear people quoting the Founding Fathers, talking about the Republic for which it stands, but I rarely hear anyone talking about the crucial need for campaign finance reform. We must have that conversation eventually, but for now, we have to operate within the system we have. Everything we are about to discuss—all the way through the runoff and into the general election—is about one central question: How do we win in 2026?
Let me be clear. To the “uglies” out there who just want to attack without bringing facts or real information to the table—you need to move along. Find something else to do with your Saturday. But if you are open to a real discussion, stay right here.
The governor’s office in Georgia is the most powerful governor’s office in the entire country. The ultimate decision before us is whether we are going to hand that office over to Keisha Lance Bottoms, or if we are going to secure it for a Republican—either Rick Jackson or Burt Jones. So, how do we win the governor’s office? We win it down-ballot. That is my absolute focus. Do not look at me and say I “sold out.” I have never sold out, and nobody has “gotten to BKP.” I am an independent voice; I am not paid to bring you this information, and I am not blindly in line with any candidate.
We always get upset because it feels like the grassroots base always has to pull the establishment candidate over the finish line. They never seem to have to pull our candidate over the finish line. We always have to get on board with them. But there are very real, mathematical reasons why this keeps happening. We have to find the best way to win in 2026.
The Governor’s Race Debate Dodging
Speaking of the governor’s race, the Atlanta Press Club has officially invited Rick Jackson and Burt Jones to a debate on June 1st. As of right now, Rick Jackson has not responded to say he will attend the June 1st debate. Instead, Jackson has offered Burt Jones a debate on June 14th. Now, what is interesting about that? The Atlanta Press Club debate on June 1st comes before early voting starts on June 8th. They want to hold that debate before a single person casts a vote. But Rick Jackson doesn’t want that debate. He doesn’t want the voters to see him before they cast their ballots because he got rattled in the first debate, and he knows he will be exposed if he takes the stage on June 1st.
So, Jackson is offering a debate on June 14th—two full days after early voting closes in the runoff. He wants the debate to happen when nobody will see it during the early voting period to give his campaign a chance to survive. It shows total fear; he knows a debate will collapse his campaign. After all, he came in second on primary night, over five points behind Burt Jones, when he thought he was leading in all the polls. Early voting runs from June 8th through June 12th, and Jackson absolutely does not want the voters to see him on a debate stage until after those votes are locked in.
Democrat Unity vs. GOP Infighting
I encourage you to stop laughing at the political maneuvering on the left. The Democrats have a serious plan in Georgia. While I am still surprised they delivered the gift of Keisha Lance Bottoms over Michael Thurmond or State Senator Jason Esteves, they did exactly that. Bottoms and Jon Ossoff plan to campaign as a united partnership at the top of the Democratic ticket. Remember, in the last two election cycles, Governor Brian Kemp simply said, “I support the ticket,” and went home. The Democrats are planning to run together, shoulder to shoulder.
A lot of people think the U.S. Senate is the most important race, but the Senate does not dictate your daily life. In Georgia, the governor’s office does. Whether you are going to court, buying a license plate, or purchasing groceries and gas, the governor impacts your day-to-day reality. For example, the governor of Georgia has the power to extend relief on the state gas tax. That office directly touches you and me.
Right now, amidst GOP infighting, the Democrats are leaning on unity for an early edge. While Republicans are bruised and heading into runoffs, the Democrats are ready. Keisha Lance Bottoms is locked in. Jon Ossoff is locked in. They have runoffs for Secretary of State and Lieutenant Governor, but overall, they are unified. Our challenge is immense. Between the money factor, the Ossoff factor, and the deep division on the Republican side of the aisle, this will not be easy.
When I hear Republicans say, “I refuse to vote for...” or “I will just stay home,” I know exactly what that means. History shows us that staying home results in a total loss. Furthermore, the Democrats have a massive enthusiasm gap in their favor. They are motivated, they are getting out the vote, and black women in the primary just showed that they still power the Democratic Party in Georgia, pushing Bottoms right past a runoff.
U.S. Senate Runoff to Watch
In the U.S. Senate race to determine who will run against Jon Ossoff, we have Mike Collins and Derek Dooley heading to a runoff on June 16th. Recently, Senate candidate Mike Collins dismissed his longtime advisor, Brandon Phillips, after a vulgar social media post ignited outrage and added to mounting scrutiny ahead of the GOP runoff against Derek Dooley.
Let me be clear: I do not believe Brandon Phillips is actually gone. I have watched Phillips engage in some of the most disgusting and vile behavior for years, and it never affected Collins’ decision to keep him by his side before. It’s the oldest trick in the book: when a salesperson offends a client, you tell the client the salesperson is fired, but you really just move them to a different account. I suspect Phillips is still working behind the scenes on his computer at home unbeknownst to anyone else.
The 11th Congressional District
In the 11th Congressional District—former Congressman Barry Loudermilk’s district—there is a runoff between Dr. John Cowan and Rob Adkerson. Keep in mind, Dr. John Cowan actually lives in the 14th District. He does not live in the 11th District, but he was the front-runner in the initial votes.
Now, Cowan put out a post on X a long time ago—it wasn’t recent—but the relevance is what he said. He was out there denying that the 2020 election was stolen, fully siding with Geoff Duncan and his “GOP 2.0” book. Yes, that is the same Geoff Duncan who just lost the other night running as a Democrat. I am telling you: say “no” to John Cowan in the 11th District. Please get out on June 16th and vote for Rob Adkerson.
The Secretary of State Race: Dividing the Pie
Now, let’s talk about the Secretary of State race. During the Atlanta Press Club debates, there was an empty podium on the stage. That empty podium belonged to Tim Fleming. And you know what? Tim Fleming is now the front-runner.
The final primary results tell the story:
Tim Fleming: 39.22%
Vernon Jones: 27.29%
Kelvin King: 15.94%
Gabe Sterling: 11.95%
Ted Metz: 5.60%
We are now looking at a runoff between Tim Fleming and Vernon Jones. I have seen the social media panic. People are calling me, saying, “It’s not possible! I never saw Tim Fleming at any meetings. I didn’t see his signs. How did he do it?”
I told you exactly how this was going to happen in an article I published on Substack back on April 30th, titled The Real Winners and Losers of the Georgia Secretary of State Debate: Dividing the Pie. Build the visual in your mind: At that debate, Gabe Sterling stood there with his arms crossed, laughing the entire time, while Vernon Jones spent the entire hour viciously attacking Kelvin King. It was as if Vernon knew Tim Fleming wouldn’t be there, so he focused entirely on destroying King.
Vernon Jones did the dirty work, actively diluting the vote of the conservative grassroots base. By manufacturing a conflict with a highly qualified, principled candidate like Kelvin King—and with Ted Metz pulling an additional 5% from the same grassroots pool—the base effectively handed away the nomination. The base cleared the path for the establishment lane. I warned you in April that if this division continued, the grassroots would wake up the morning after the primary to find their nominee was either Gabe Sterling or Tim Fleming. And here we are.
The Myth That Tim Fleming Didn’t Campaign
Let me address the internet myth that Tim Fleming never campaigned. It is simply not true. While the grassroots base was busy slicing up their own pie, Fleming picked a completely different lane and walked right in. He didn’t need to get into the middle of the grassroots fight.
People complain they didn’t see him at GOP meetings, but he was holding thoughtful conversations at the Jackson County GOP back in March. He was speaking to the Clerks of Court across Georgia. He was addressing the Georgia Farm Bureau State Board of Directors. He locked down an endorsement from conservative commentator Erick Erickson. He secured the endorsements of over 30 Georgia sheriffs. He even announced the endorsement of 70 state legislators, including the entire House leadership: Speaker Jon Burns, Speaker Pro Tempore Jan Jones, Majority Leader Chuck Efstration, Majority Whip James Burchett, and Majority Caucus Chairman Bruce Williamson.
And as for signs? There is a Tim Fleming sign sitting right across the street from my local post office. He campaigned. He just campaigned in a lane he had all to himself while our side destroyed itself.
The Disastrous Baggage of Vernon Jones
This brings me to the hard truth: Vernon Jones cannot be the Secretary of State of Georgia. I know this makes some of you angry. You look at the staged photo floating around the internet of Vernon Jones shaking hands with Ted Metz, agreeing to “work together to restore trust.” Ted, I am embarrassed that you would allow yourself to be used like this. With your extensive knowledge of elections, it is deeply disappointing that you would legitimize Vernon Jones given his volatile history.
People defend Vernon by saying he stood with President Donald Trump. That is great, but supporting Trump does not magically qualify a person to manage the complex, administrative duties of the Secretary of State.
Vernon Jones faces a history of conduct that makes him entirely unbecoming of this office. In my honest opinion, Vernon cannot handle positions of power. He goes to anger far too quickly—I have experienced his temper firsthand. He is a walking liability. A detailed post by Chuck Shifflett recently circulated online, outlining Vernon’s disastrous tenure as the Democratic CEO of DeKalb County from 2001 to 2008. I didn’t just take it at face value; I fact-checked it, and the facts are damning:
Racial Discrimination Lawsuit: In 2010, a federal judge found against DeKalb County because Jones orchestrated a scheme to replace white managers with black managers based on race. This reverse-discrimination lawsuit ended up costing the county over $1.3 million.
Ethics Fines: In 2005, the State Ethics Commission fined Vernon Jones $7,500 for campaign contribution violations.
LGBTQ Domestic Partner Benefits: In 2001, Jones and the commission made DeKalb the very first county in Georgia to provide taxpayer-funded health insurance to unmarried and same-sex partners.
1989 Arrest: He was arrested for pointing a pistol at a woman in her home. The charges were dropped, but he was mandated to attend anger management.
2004 Rape Accusation: A woman accused him of rape but ultimately declined to proceed because she was terrified after her identity was leaked. The police chief—who was appointed by Jones—released the police report containing her name, address, and personal information.
Appalling Voting Record: As reported by Jessica Szilagyi at AllOnGeorgia, during his 2019 session as a State Representative, Jones skipped 98 out of 392 votes—a full 25% of the session. On “Sine Die” (Day 40, the final and most hectic day of the session), he missed 59 votes. He claimed he had a family emergency, but instead of officially asking leadership to be excused, he just “walked on the vote,” leaving his voting machine open all day.
Democrats are praying that Vernon Jones becomes the Republican nominee on June 16th. If he is on the ticket, he will drag the entire Republican slate down with him, ultimately handing the governor’s office to Keisha Lance Bottoms.
A Direct Conversation With Tim Fleming
I voted for and heavily supported Kelvin King. He is a man of great character, moral strength, and organizational skill. The Secretary of State’s office is largely an administrative and corporate filing office. It requires a leader with strong decision-making abilities who won’t cave to the Democrats. That was Kelvin King. But Vernon spent his time beating up King, and now King is out.
So, knowing that a Democrat cannot be the next Secretary of State, and firmly believing that Vernon Jones cannot be the Secretary of State, I picked up the phone yesterday and spoke extensively with Tim Fleming. I asked him some very pointed questions.
First, I asked about his past as Brian Kemp’s Chief of Staff and his time as Deputy Secretary of State. Fleming was forthright. He didn’t gloss over it. He said, “I’m not running away from my past, I’m not going to pretend like it didn’t happen.” He pointed out that as a State Representative, he cast votes that Governor Kemp didn’t like, proving he is his own man.
I asked him if he would repair the completely fractured relationship between the Secretary of State’s office and the State Board of Elections. Under Brad Raffensperger, the SOS office offered zero support to the Board. Fleming told me, “Absolutely. I will repair that relationship and work with the State Board of Elections.”
I asked about election integrity teams and the citizens who have been begging for transparency regarding Dominion voting machines and paper ballots. I asked if he would shut the door on us like Raffensperger did. He said, “Absolutely not. I will have an open-door policy. I will set meetings. I will speak with election integrity teams. I promise they will get into the Secretary of State’s office, and we will talk.”
He also pointed out a crucial failure of the current administration. When the legislature was working on election bills like SB 189, the Secretary of State’s office was completely absent. They didn’t show up to committee hearings and offered zero support. Fleming guaranteed me that his office will actively engage with legislators.
Finally, I asked him about Mark Davis. We have a lot of election data analysts in Georgia, but Mark Davis is, in my opinion, the most balanced and professional expert we have. He is one of the most thorough data analysts of the 2020 election. He has testified in depositions, worked on evidence that may have been provided to the DOJ and FBI, writes for The Federalist, and intimately knows how the Secretary of State’s office functions. I asked Fleming: “If you become Secretary of State, will you bring Mark Davis in, in some capacity, to help review the data and set a standard to make necessary corrections?”
Fleming’s response? “Absolutely. I will be glad to have Mark Davis in the Secretary of State’s office working with us.” Now, I don’t know if Mark Davis plans on doing that—that is entirely up to Mr. Davis—but the fact that Fleming is eager to bring him to the table is exactly what we need.
The Bottom Line
I told Tim Fleming directly that I did not vote for him in the primary. I voted for Kelvin King. He understood and respected that. But now, the choice is binary.
If you want to go out and vote for Vernon Jones, that is your right. It is your vote. But do not buy into the spin that there is some massive conspiracy robbing us of our preferred candidate. I warned you in April that dividing the grassroots pie would result in exactly this scenario.
I will be voting for Tim Fleming. I can already feel the arrows flying at me, and I know people are going to be angry. But if my choice is between a ticket of Tim Fleming utilizing Mark Davis’s expertise, versus the chaotic, staged disaster of Vernon Jones and Ted Metz, there is no question.
We have to protect the ticket. We have to protect the governor’s office. If we keep letting people infiltrate our side and dilute our vote, we will forever be stuck dragging establishment candidates across the finish line just to keep Democrats out of power. But I am not going to apologize for doing what it takes to get the Republican ticket across the line, because I will absolutely not let Keisha Lance Bottoms become the Governor of Georgia.
Send me your messages. Tell me you’re angry. But look me in the eye: I didn’t sell out. I am looking at the political reality of the board, and I am playing to win.
Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. Enjoy the lake, eat a good slaw dog, but take time on Monday to honor those who bled for our rights. Join us next week as we transition back to Rumble and YouTube, and make sure you follow our Substack at Voice of Rural America (VORA). I upload the audio versions of these articles so you can listen while you drive.
To the uglies out there: you are welcome to debate us on our pages. I never censor people just because we disagree. But if you are just going to be nasty to other commenters, we will bring in security and ask you to leave.
Stay strong, stay focused, and until we meet again.
Just another Nugget of Truth with BKP.
