BURSTGeorgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) announced on Monday that he’s forgoing a bid to challenge Sen. Jon Ossoff (D) in Georgia next year, delivering a major blow to Republicans who sought to recruit him for the race.
“Over the last few weeks, I have had many conversations with friends, supporters, and leaders across the country who encouraged me to run for the US Senate in 2026. I greatly appreciate their support and prayers for our family,” the two-term GOP governor said in a post on the social platform X.
“After those discussions, I have decided that being on the ballot next year is not the right decision for me and my family,” he continued, adding that he had spoken with President Trump and Senate GOP leadership about the decision earlier that day, expressing his “commitment to work alongside them to ensure we have a strong Republican nominee who can win next November.”
The news is a blow for Republicans, who largely saw Kemp as their most formidable opponent to Ossoff, the first-term Georgia Democrat who narrowly ousted now-U.S. ambassador to China David Perdue in the 2020 cycle.
Kemp has also been seen as a potential 2028 contender and most believed that if he was considering running for president, he was unlikely to make a bid for the Senate in 2026.
The Georgia Republican’s announcement will almost certainty kick off a chaotic and spirited primary for the nomination to take on Ossoff, the only Senate Democrat running for reelection in a battleground state in 2026.
Republicans who have said they would be interested in running if Kemp opted against it, or who could very well jump in, include Reps. Rich McCormick, Mike Collins, Buddy Carter and Marjorie Taylor Greene, in addition to Insurance Commissioner John King. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger could also launch a bid as well.
Senate Republicans projected confidence that they had a strong chance of flipping the seat next year.
“While Jon Ossoff is running to impeach President Trump, Republicans have a number of strong candidates who can build a winning coalition to add this seat to President Trump’s Senate Majority,” said Joanna Rodriguez, a spokeswoman for the Senate Republicans’ campaign arm.
Updated at 3:11 p.m. EDT