Democrat who endorsed Trump wants ‘party affiliation’ added to proposed hate-crimes law

A Democratic lawmaker who ended his re-election campaign shortly after endorsing Republican President Donald Trump’s campaign wants to include crimes committed based on someone’s politics to a proposed state hate-crimes law.

State Rep. Vernon Jones, a Lithonia Democrat, withdrew his candidacy for re-election a little more than a week after he endorsed Trump’s presidential campaign, saying he had been “attacked and harassed by the Democrat Party for putting my country before my party.”

A range of people including lawmakers, members of the business community and activists have increased their calls on the Georgia Senate to approve a bill that would enhance the penalty of those convicted of committing hate crimes.

The calls intensified after the death of Ahmaud Arbery, who was black and unarmed when he was followed and killed by three white men in the Brunswick area. One man is accused of calling Arbery an “(expletive) n-word” after shooting him. All three men have been charged with murder in Arbery’s killing.