Governor Brian Kemp or Georgia decided not to run for the Senate in 2026, stealing the Republicans of their potential recruit against Senator Jon Ossoff, who is seen as the most vulnerable Democrat of the Chamber on the ballot next year.
Mr. Kemp is a popular two -period governor who won the re -election won in 2022 despite a primary challenge promoted by President Trump, who went publicly about Mr. Kemp’s refusal to consent to his false statements that the 2020 elections were fraudulent.
However, the main Republicans had tried to attract Mr. Kemp on the Senate’s career, with senators John Thune, the leader of the majority, and Tim Scott, president of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, making a recent visit. The surveys had shown that he would have a formidable challenger for Mr. Ossoff, who won the elections in 2020.
“I have decided that being on the ballot next year is not the right decision for me and my family,” Kemp wrote in X on Monday, saying that he had spoken that day with Mr. Trump and with the leadership of the Senate about his decision.
The news of Mr. Kemp’s decision occurs when it meets with supporters and donors in Sea Island, Go. For a three -day retreat where the main donors are asked to grant up to $ 100,000 to serve as an “executive chair.”
The fact that Mr. Kemp, 61, continues to aspire in cash, since it prevents an offer from the Senate to leave open the possibility of seeing a higher position in 2028.
Kemp’s complicated relationship with Trump had occurred on a possible Senate campaign.
Trump publicly attacked Mr. Kemp in 2024 as he campaigned in Georgia, calling him “Little Brian Kemp”, and publicly complained that Mr. Kemp’s wife did not support him either. “Leave my family out of it,” said Mr. Kemp.
Mr. Kemp and Mr. Trump possible appeared together and their relationship improved. But the governor has never been involved in the type of performative drag that so many Republicans have made to remain in the good thanks of the president.
Mr. Osoff has been in cash, raising $ 11 million in the first quarter of 2025, to prepare for what is expected to be one of the most difficult races of nations next year. He has not avoided criticizing Mr. Trump, despite running in a state that the president won in 2025, accusing him of having “authoritarian impulses” and a “desire to govern as king.”
“This country was based on a rejection of the kings, and my opinion is that the American people have no interest in this new experiment in the monarchy that this president is trying to impose,” he said recently.
Several prominent Republicans of Georgia could run, especially with Mr. Kemp outside the race. The list includes representative Marjorie Taylor Greene; Mike Collins representative; John King, the insurance commissioner; and Tyler Harper, the Agriculture Commissioner, who published a photo of himself in February in the national offices of the Republican Senatorial Committee.
About The Author
