Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp announced that he will not run for Senate next year, dealing a massive blow to Republicans who saw him as a strong contender against Democrat Jon Ossoff.
The two-term governor, who cannot run for re-election in 2026, explained that being on that ballot “is not the right decision for me and my family.”
“I spoke with President Trump and Senate leadership earlier today and expressed my commitment to work alongside them to ensure we have a strong Republican nominee who can win next November, and ultimately be a conservative voice in the US Senate who will put hardworking Georgians first,” Kemp said in a statement Monday.
Kemp’s decision could allow Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene an easier path to a general election matchup against Ossoff.
Greene views her chances in the GOP primary more favorably without Kemp, the Daily Caller reported last month.
Yet the MAGA congresswoman—known for all sorts of conspiracies—could have a more difficult time winning over moderates.
“It‘s like wow, not necessarily the news we wanted to hear,” former Cobb County GOP chair Jason Shepherd told Politico.
Whereas Greene managed just 37 percent support against Ossoff’s 54 percent in a recent Atlanta Journal Constitution poll, Kemp edged out the Democrat, 49 percent to 46 percent.
Showings like those helped make Kemp the GOP’s “number one recruit” for Georgia, as National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Tim Scott told Semafor in January.
Kemp’s electoral record was also encouraging for Republicans. He first won the governorship in the 2018 midterms and was reelected 2022—both good years for Democrats. In the latter campaign, Kemp was also primaried by former Sen. David Perdue, who had President Donald Trump‘s support.
Yet the GOP will now have to look elsewhere to defeat Ossoff—a prime target since his is one of two Democratic seats up for grabs in 2026 in a state Trump won.
The other seat, in Michigan, is held by Sen. Gary Peters, who is retiring.
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