Trump administration insiders revealed that a dark horse candidate has emerged as a potential nominee to lead the Food and Drug Administration as Republican lawmakers have fled Congress, according to reports on Tuesday.
Former Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA) lost his Senate primary in 2025 and plans to leave Congress at the end of this year, NOTUS reported.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and House Republicans have been facing a cascade of primary defeats and a wave of vacated seats, promotions, and retirements.
White House sources said Carter was under consideration for the job.
The Trump ally “failed to gain the president’s endorsement in his May GOP primary bid for Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff’s seat, and he lost the race,” according to NOTUS. “He is a licensed pharmacist and previously owned his own pharmacy, Carter’s Pharmacy, for more than three decades. His license is currently active, according to the Georgia Department of Community Health.”
A source told the outlet that the Trump administration had been looking at other potential candidates to replace FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, who resigned in April following pressure to approve fruit-flavored vapes — a point of frustration for the White House.
“Carter is interested in the position of FDA commissioner and would bring a unique mix of both policy and real-world health experience,” the source told NOTUS. “He’s a bipartisan champion for patients, providers and innovators with strong relationships inside the administration, in the industry and across the aisle.”
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