The top vote-getter in the first round of the Democratic primary for lieutenant governor made the surprise decision Friday to endorse GOP nominee Burt Jones in the race for Georgia’s No. 2 job rather than back the Democrat who defeated him in a runoff.

Kwanza Hall also threw his support behind Gov. Brian Kemp over Democrat Stacey Abrams in the race for Georgia’s top job. The endorsements are likely to be featured by both Republicans in the runup to the Nov. 8 election as an example of their crossover appeal. …

A former Atlanta city councilmember, Hall briefly served as a U.S. House member to fill the remainder of the term of the late civil rights hero John Lewis. He also waged a failed bid for Atlanta mayor in 2017.

Hall won about 30% of the vote in the nine-way Democratic primary for lieutenant governor in May, forcing a runoff against Bailey, a former prosecutor who notched 18% of the vote. With Abrams’ endorsement in the June runoff, Bailey coasted to victory over Hall.