A political group tied to Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp appears to be using Democratic talking points to bash two Republicans running for Senate in his state over the government shutdown.
Hardworking Georgians Inc., a Kemp-backed non-tax-deductible organization, rolled out an ad Thursday blaming Republican Georgia Reps. Mike Collins and Buddy Carter — in addition to Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff — for the government shutdown in an effort to boost their opponent, Republican Derek Dooley. The ad, first reported by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, does not disclose that Collins and Carter both voted for a clean stopgap bill in September to keep the government funded.
“What do Mike Collins, Buddy Carter and Jon Ossoff have in common? They all failed and shut down the government,” the spot’s narrator says in the 15-second video.
“It’s what happens when you send career politicians to D.C,” the ad’s narrator continues. “To change Washington, we need an outsider. Derek Dooley for U.S. Senate.”
Republicans view next year’s Georgia Senate race as one of their top flip opportunities during the midterm elections. Collins, Carter and Dooley are vying for the GOP nomination in a competitive primary to unseat Ossoff, who is widely viewed as the most vulnerable Democratic incumbent running for reelection.
The ad’s claim directly contradicts Republicans’ messaging on the shutdown, which has squarely pinned the blame for the funding lapse on Democrats. For 38 days, congressional Republicans and Trump have slammed Senate Democrats for refusing to fund the government until their policy demands related to health care are met.
Carter and Collins joined nearly every House Republicans in supporting a Trump-backed bill to avert a government shutdown.
The House-passed legislation has repeatedly failed to overcome Senate Democrats’ filibuster. Ossoff has voted against the measure 14 times since the end of September.
Collins torched the Kemp-linked nonprofit for “parroting the anti-Trump Democrat lie” that Republicans are responsible for the funding lapse.
“[I]f the governor’s team wants to spend Georgia donor money, my humble suggestion would be to use it telling Georgians the truth about Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock…and not attacking Republicans for standing with President Trump,” Collins wrote on X.
The Ossoff campaign referred the Daily Caller News Foundation to the Georgia Democratic Party, who argued the Kemp-linked ad attacking Carter and Collins exposed Republican infighting.
“Brian Kemp’s latest attempt to boost the failed and fired Derek Dooley further proves that Republicans are in for a long, nasty primary,” Democratic Party of Georgia senior communications advisor Devon Cruz told the DCNF. “No matter who limps out of the primary, it’s been made very clear that the eventual nominee will be badly bruised and battered for a general election.”
Spokespersons for the Carter campaign, Dooley Campaign, and Kemp-linked group did not comment before publication.
Collins has consistently led the primary field in polling though a large chunk of Republican voters are still undecided.
An Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll released Oct. 31 found Collins receiving 30% of likely Republican voters’ support, followed by Carter at 20% support and Dooley registering 12% support. The survey of 1,000 likely GOP voters has a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points.
Kemp is serving as the chairman of the Republican Governors Association for 2025 and will leave office at the end of next year after serving two terms as governor. He rejected national Republicans’ pleas to challenge Ossoff earlier this year and helped recruit Dooley into the race.
Trump has yet to make an endorsement in the Republican primary. The White House did not respond to a request for comment on the Kemp-backed ad before publication.
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