ATLANTA (AP) 鈥� , Georgia鈥檚 Republican governor, announced Monday that he鈥檚 not running for U.S. Senate in 2026 against Democratic incumbent .
Kemp, who will leave the governor鈥檚 chair in 2027 after eight years due to term limits, has long been at the top of the GOP鈥檚 wish list to challenge Ossoff, whom Republican leaders have in next year鈥檚 midterm elections. His decision not to run will likely result in a competitive primary among candidates who have never won a top statewide race.
鈥淚 spoke with President Trump and Senate leadership earlier today and expressed my commitment to work alongside them to ensure we have a strong Republican nominee who can win next November, and ultimately be a conservative voice in the US Senate who will put hardworking Georgians first,鈥� Kemp said in a statement.
U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, who represents a district on Georgia鈥檚 coast, is itching to run and is likely to jump in. Other possibilities could include U.S. Reps. and , state Insurance Commissioner John King and Secretary of State .
A possible candidate with massive name recognition is , a prolific fundraiser who may have gone as far as she can go in the House and was passed over for a position in the Trump administration. She has said she鈥檚 considering running for Senate or governor in 2026, but her entry into either race would likely prompt internal opposition from more traditional Republicans, including those aligned with Kemp. Some Democrats are eager for her to run, believing she's poison to a majority of voters. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters Monday that Republicans were 鈥渟tuck鈥� with Greene as their nominee.
A number of top-tier Republicans appear to have excluded themselves by taking top positions in President Donald Trump鈥檚 administration, including former , currently secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs; former , head of the Small Business Administration; and former , ambassador to China.
Raffensperger, long a target of Trump because of his unwillingness to to Democratic President in Georgia, was noncommittal on Monday.
鈥淎ll options are on the table,鈥� said Jordan Fuchs, a spokesperson for Raffensperger.
Collins saluted Kemp and indirectly expressed interest in running in a statement after the governor backed out.
鈥淩epublicans can absolutely win this Senate seat in Georgia, and I encourage all interested parties to fully commit and invest in the number one pick up opportunity in the country,鈥� he said in a statement. 鈥淚 will speak to President Trump and his team and do whatever is necessary to ensure he has another vote in the Senate for the America First agenda.鈥�
King, who was appointed by Kemp and has been a close ally, heaped praise on Kemp, calling him 鈥渢he best governor in America鈥� in a statement.
Spokespersons for Carter, Greene and McCormick did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
National Republicans have already been advertising against Ossoff, who launched his reelection bid at a March rally where he proclaimed his defiance to Trump. They've also attacked Ossoff for saying in a town hall two weeks ago that he believed Trump had committed impeachable offenses in his second term.
鈥淲hile Jon Ossoff is running to impeach President Trump, Republicans have a number of candidates who can build a winning coalition to add this seat to President Trump's Senate majority,鈥� Joanna Rodriguez of the National Republican Senatorial Committee said in a statement.
Democrats were gleeful at Kemp's exit.
鈥淏rian Kemp鈥檚 decision to not run for Senate in 2026 is yet another embarrassing Republican Senate recruitment failure as they face a building midterm backlash where every GOP candidate will be forced to answer for Trump鈥檚 harmful agenda," Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spokesperson Maeve Coyle said in a statement.
The 61-year-old Kemp hesitated for months about entering the race, seemingly reluctant to become one of 100 senators after years of charting his own course in executive office. That鈥檚 especially true as Trump, who once regarded Kemp as an enemy, stands astride the Republican Party.
Kemp has harbored ambitions to run for president and had faced questions about whether it would be better to do so as a senator or to follow in the footsteps of fellow Georgian Jimmy Carter and run as a successful former governor. Losing a Senate race would probably extinguish such hopes, but staying out could leave the door open to run directly for the White House after he leaves office.
The election is likely to be closely contested and fantastically expensive. The twin Senate races in 2020, when Ossoff and Raphael Warnock narrowly won and flipped control of the body to Democrats, cost more than $900 million combined, according to OpenSecrets, which tracks political spending. Warnock鈥檚 2022 reelection over Republican Herschel Walker cost more than $470 million, OpenSecrets found.
Jeff Amy, The Associated Press
