Gov. Brian Kemp says he will not run for Georgia Senate seat
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp won’t search the GOP nomination in subsequent yr’s Georgia Senate race, a key contest for management of Congress’ higher chamber as Republicans look to unseat susceptible Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff.
In a publish on X, Kemp stated, “Being on the poll subsequent yr will not be the suitable determination for me and my household.”
He added that he spoke with Senate GOP management and President Trump and “expressed my dedication to work alongside them to make sure we now have a powerful Republican nominee who can win subsequent November.”
Kemp led Ossoff 49%-46% in a hypothetical Atlanta Journal-Structure ballot of the 2026 Senate race taken final month, inside the 3.1-point margin of error.
The Georgia Senate race is one among subsequent yr’s most carefully watched contests, and retaining the seat might show important to Democrats’ efforts to regain management of the Senate, the place Republicans at present maintain a 53-47 edge.
Elections in Georgia — as soon as a persistently pink state — are perennially shut. Ossoff received his Senate seat by below two factors in a 2021 runoff towards GOP Sen. David Perdue, pushed by sturdy efficiency within the Atlanta suburbs and amongst Black voters — serving to to cinch the Democrats’ slim Senate majority. And Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock was reelected by fewer than three factors in 2022, beating Trump-backed ex-football star Herschel Walker.
Kemp’s plans for the Senate race have been carefully watched on account of his recognition within the state. The term-limited governor defeated Democrat Stacey Abrams by simply 1.4 factors in 2018, however improved his margin to 7.5 factors in a 2022 rematch towards Abrams. Kemp additionally simply staved off a Trump-backed major problem by Perdue in 2022, beating him by over 50 factors.
Kemp and Mr. Trump have a rocky relationship, courting again to the governor’s refusal to assist the president overturn his slim 2020 election loss in Georgia. Mr. Trump endorsed Perdue’s major election, calling Kemp the “WORST Governor within the Nation on Election Integrity.” Kemp later endorsed Mr. Trump’s 2024 marketing campaign, and Mr. Trump received again Georgia.
With Kemp out of the race, it is unclear who will search to run towards Ossoff.
Mr. Trump stated in 2023 he would “combat like hell” for Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene if she runs for Senate. The firebrand lawmaker stated earlier this yr she’s “contemplating all prospects” when requested if she’s going to run for statewide workplace in 2026.
Candidates aside from Kemp might face a harder path: In final month’s Journal-Structure ballot, Ossoff led Greene 54%-37%. The incumbent senator additionally led Georgia Insurance coverage and Security Hearth Commissioner John King 51%-38%, and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger — one other Trump foe — 48%-39%.
In a press release after Kemp’s announcement, Ossoff’s marketing campaign supervisor, Ellen Foster, stated the senator is “well-prepared to defeat any challenger.”
“As Republicans scramble within the aftermath, our marketing campaign will proceed to construct insurmountable momentum wanted to win subsequent November,” Foster stated.
Nikole Killion
contributed to this report.
