The Republican attorney general of Georgia, Chris Carr, announced his candidacy for governor in the state on Thursday, marking the start of another frenzied midterm-election cycle directly on the heels of the presidential contest.
Mr. Carr, 52, is the first candidate of either major party to declare his candidacy for statewide office in Georgia in 2026. In his campaign announcement, he said he would govern in the mold of Georgia’s past conservative governors, including Nathan Deal and Sonny Perdue, as well as Gov. Brian Kemp, who will be subject to term limits once he completes his second term in 2026.
“I’m running to create jobs for hardworking Georgians, keep our families and our neighborhoods safe, and vigorously defend our constitution and our freedoms,” Mr. Carr said in a post on X. “Together, we will fight to keep Georgia red.”
Mr. Carr was appointed Georgia’s attorney general in 2016 by Mr. Deal and twice won re-election. One question for Mr. Carr will be how — or even if — he will vie for support from President-elect Donald J. Trump. In his 2022 Republican primary race, Mr. Carr defeated a Trump-backed challenger, though he supported the former president’s campaign this year. His allusion to governors like Mr. Kemp, a staunch conservative who has appealed to both Trump loyalists and moderate Republicans, suggests his campaign will aim to build a similar coalition.
Mr. Carr is likely to be one of several high-profile Republicans to enter the primary for governor in Georgia. Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, a close Trump ally, and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger have been widely regarded as possible contenders.
The starting gun for 2026 goes off as Georgia Democrats work to recover from Vice President Kamala Harris’s loss in the state and build a slate of candidates who might be able to flip the governor’s mansion. Representative Lucy McBath; Michael Thurmond, the chief executive of DeKalb County; and the voting-rights advocate Stacey Abrams, who lost the Georgia governor’s race in 2018 and 2022, have all been floated as possible candidates.
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