Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp decided not to run for the Senate in 2026, stealing Republicans' top potential recruits against Senator Jon Ossoff, who is seen as the most vulnerable Democrat in the vote next year.
Mr. Kemp is a popular two-term governor who won reelection in 2022 despite the major challenges President Trump has raised.
Still, Republicans are seeking to attract Mr. Kemp to the Senate campaign, with Majority Leader John Thune and National Republican Senate Committee Chairman Tim Scott recently visited. Polls show that he was originally a powerful challenge for Mr. Ossov, who nearly won the election in 2020.
“I don't think it's the right decision for me and my family to vote next year,” Mr. Kemp wrote on X on Monday.
News of Mr. Kemp's decision was that he gathered with supporters and donors from Georgia Island for a three-day retreat, asking top donors to donate up to $100,000 to serve as “executive director.”
The fact that Mr. Kemp, 61, continues to vacuum cash while bypassing Senate bids makes it possible for him to seek a higher position in 2028.
Mr. Kemp’s complex relationship with Trump has been vaguely visible due to a potential Senate campaign.
Mr. Trump publicly attacked Mr. Kemp during his 2024 campaign in Georgia, calling him “Brian Kemp Jr” – and publicly complained that Kemp's wife also did not support him. Mr. Kemp replied: “Let my family get out of the way.”
Mr. Kemp and Mr. Trump eventually appeared together and their relationship improved. But the governor has never been engaged in the type of expressive greed that many Republicans do in the good grace of the president.
Mr Ossoff has been banking cash, raising $11 million in the first quarter of 2025 to prepare for one of the toughest games expected next year. Although the president won a state in 2025, he did not shy away from criticizing Mr. Trump, accusing him of having “authoritarian impulses” and “willing to rule as king.”
He recently said: “This country is based on the rejection of the king, and I think the American people have no interest in this new experiment of monarchy this president is trying to impose.”
Several Republicans in Georgia can run for the election, especially Mr. Kemp withdraws from the competition. The list includes representative Marjorie Taylor Greene; representative Mike Collins; insurance commissioner John King; agriculture commissioner Tyler Harper released his own photos in February at the National Republican Senate Committee Office.
