Republican Georgia Governor Brian Kemp announced Monday afternoon that he would not jump into the 2026 Georgia Senate race.
Kemp, a popular two-term governor, was viewed by GOP operatives as the best candidate to defeat Democratic incumbent Jon Ossoff in the midterm race. Kemp’s decision to pass a run is expected to jumpstart a Republican primary contest during which several Republican candidates previously supportive of Kemp are expected to enter the race.
Kemp wrote running for Senate was “not the right decision for me and my family” in a post on X Monday afternoon.
National Republican Senatorial Committee chairman Tim Scott previously described Kemp as the party’s top Senate recruit across the country.
Scott and Senate Majority Leader John Thune traveled to Atlanta in April to lobby Kemp to run, Axios first reported.
Senate Republican-aligned groups emphasized the deep bench of potential Republican candidates following Kemp’s decision to pass on a run.
“While Jon Ossoff is running to impeach President Trump, Republicans have a number of strong candidates who can build a winning coalition to add this seat to President Trump’s Senate Majority,” National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) Communications Director Joanna Rodriguez said in a statement emailed to the DCNF.
“Whether it’s his liberal record of supporting open borders, forcing girls to compete against biological men in women’s sports, or voting for the Biden Agenda 100% of the time, Jon Ossoff has completely failed to represent the people of Georgia and is the most vulnerable Senate Democrat in America,” former Republican Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner, the Senate Leadership Fund chairman, said in a statement emailed to the DCNF. “With a deep bench of incredible Georgia leaders, Republicans will have a strong candidate in 2026 and SLF is committed to ensuring Ossoff’s accidental tenure in Washington is limited to one term.”
Republican Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is “seriously considering” running for Ossoff’s seat, the Daily Caller News Foundation first reported.
Republican Georgia Rep. Mike Collins, one of several Republicans who had urged Kemp to run, said he would speak with President Donald Trump about the race in a post on X Monday afternoon.
Collins told Fox News Digital in March that he would take a “hard look” at the race if Kemp were to opt out on a run. The congressman added at the time that if Kemp decided to run for the Senate seat he could easily “walk away with” a win.
Collins’ House colleague, Republican Georgia Rep. Rich McCormick also did not rule out a potential Senate run, if Kemp decided not to seek the seat, when he spoke with Fox News Digital the same month.
“We always consider everything,” McCormick had said. “I’m a moneyball kind of guy.”
Meanwhile, Republican Georgia Rep. Buddy Carter, who was seen as a possible contender to challenge Ossoff absent Kemp running, announced he would not launch a Senate bid Monday evening.
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