Chris Jones, the MIT-educated physicist turned politician, is yet again making a major run in Arkansas politics. This time, he is campaigning for U.S. Congress, hoping to win a GOP-held seat in November. Now, Jones has picked up a major endorsement, with former Vice President Kamala Harris backing his campaign.
Kamala Harris becomes latest high-profile Democrat to endorse Jones
Harris announced Tuesday that she was endorsing Jones in his race for the 2nd Congressional District of Arkansas. “At a moment when so many people are hurting – when the cost of housing, groceries, gas, health care, and childcare is squeezing families – Dr. Chris Jones has made it clear that he will work every day to lower costs,” Harris said in her endorsement. “Arkansans deserve a fighter in their corner, and Chris Jones has shown he is ready to fight for the people. I’m proud to support him in this race.”
The endorsement from Harris is the latest high-profile endorsement for Jones. As POLITICO journalist Adam Wren noted, several potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidates have backed Jones, with Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg all endorsing Jones.
Jones echoed Harris’ economic message in his reply to the endorsement. “Arkansans are fed up with rising costs and have been putting in the work to make their voices heard,” Jones said in his response to the support from Harris. “I’m honored Vice President Harris is standing with us. Her support means a great deal to this campaign and to the people of AR-02.” The U.S. House race is the latest political campaign for Jones in Arkansas. As Blavity previously reported, Jones’ journey into politics is part of a life path that included studying math and physics at Morehouse and nuclear engineering at MIT and becoming an ordained Baptist minister. Jones previously ran for governor in a race that was won by Republican Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
Jones leading race against Republican incumbent
Although Jones lost to Sanders in the 2022 race, his prospects in the current campaign are promising. Jones is running against GOP Rep. French Hill, and a recent poll showed Jones running ahead of the Republican incumbent. The Arkansas Talk Business & Politics and Hendrix College poll showed Jones with a 48% to 44% lead over Hill. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has designated the 2nd District as a “District in Play,” indicating that the committee believes Jones has a shot of flipping the seat, which has been represented by Hill since 2015. The lead enjoyed by Jones in the recent poll coincides with fellow Democrat Hallie Shoffner holding a similar lead over incumbent Republican Sen. Tom Cotton in the state’s Senate race, although Sanders was leading her Democratic opponent Fred Love in her reelection campaign for governor.
Jones touted the poll results, declaring “These numbers are the loudest thing Arkansas has said about this race yet.” The Democratic candidate has pushed his economic message against Hill. “From kitchen tables to church fellowship halls to front porches, I’ve heard the same thing all year: life is too expensive. People are done being ignored, done with rising costs, and they’re ready to vote French Hill out,” Jones said. Hill has dismissed the numbers, saying “the whole time I’ve served in Congress, I’ve really never paid attention to polls.” Jones, meanwhile, acknowledged that “French Hill is a very formidable candidate.” Jones says “we do not take anything for granted and do not take it lightly.” The poll, Jones said, “is a snapshot in time, and nothing matters until election time, which is October 19th to November 3rd.”
While the poll may only be a snapshot, it is an encouraging one for the Jones campaign and for Democrats hoping to flip control of Congress in their favor this November. And with Vice President Harris joining a growing list of backers, Jones has significant support from the party in his race to represent Arkansas in the U.S. House of Representatives.