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Two-term Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, who was the GOP's apical Senate enlistee successful battleground Georgia successful adjacent year's midterm elections, announced connected Monday that helium is passing connected launching a campaign.
"Over the past fewer weeks, I person had galore conversations with friends, supporters, and leaders crossed the state who encouraged maine to tally for the U.S. Senate successful 2026. I greatly admit their enactment and prayers for our family. After those discussions, I person decided that being connected the ballot adjacent twelvemonth is not the close determination for maine and my family," Kemp said successful a societal media post.
The fashionable blimpish governor, who is term-limited and prevented from seeking re-election successful 2026, was the GOP's imagination campaigner to instrumentality connected Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff, who is considered vulnerable, arsenic Republicans purpose to grow their 53-47 Senate bulk adjacent year.
Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia stands for an interrogation with Fox News Digital, his archetypal aft being elected Republican Governors Association chair, connected Nov, 20, 2024 connected Marco Island, Florida (Fox News - Paul Steinhauser)
Ossoff, who is moving for a second, six-year word successful the Senate aft flipping the spot with a razor-thin triumph successful a January 2021 runoff election, is simply a apical people of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) successful a authorities that President Donald Trump narrowly carried past November.
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"Republicans person a fig of beardown candidates who tin physique a winning conjugation to adhd this spot to President Trump’s Senate Majority," NRSC communications director Joanna Rodriguez told Fox News successful a statement.
Kemp, successful his societal media post, said that helium "spoke with President Trump and Senate enactment earlier contiguous and expressed my committedness to enactment alongside them to guarantee we person a beardown Republican nominee who tin triumph adjacent November."
Now-President Donald Trump shakes hands with Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp aft speaking astatine a impermanent alleviation structure arsenic helium visits areas impacted by Hurricane Helene, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, successful Evans, Ga. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
The governor, who had been courted to tally for the Senate for months, told Fox News Digital successful a February interrogation portion helium was successful the mediate of Georgia's legislative session that "I cognize I can't support holding retired forever, truthful we'll person thing to accidental connected that down the road."
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Kemp, who is presently seat of the Republican Governors Association, besides emphasized that "we request to flip that seat. We should person a Republican successful that seat, and I judge we'll person 1 aft the '26 election."
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, seen presiding implicit a proceeding of the House Oversight Subcommittee successful the Capitol connected Feb. 26, 2025 successful Washington, DC., is earnestly considering a tally for Senate oregon politician successful 2026. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
But with Kemp retired of the picture, the GOP faces the imaginable of a crowded and perchance divisive superior that could see Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a apical Trump protagonist successful the House who enjoys monolithic sanction designation but is seen by pundits arsenic excessively toxic to tribunal important autarkic voters needed to triumph the wide election.
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Among the different Republicans who person expressed involvement successful moving if Kemp bowed retired are Reps. Buddy Carter, Mike Collins, and Rich McCormick, and authorities Insurance Commissioner John King.
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee highlighted Kemp's announcement.
"Brian Kemp’s determination to not tally for Senate successful 2026 is yet different embarrassing Republican Senate recruitment nonaccomplishment arsenic they look a gathering midterm backlash wherever each GOP campaigner volition beryllium forced to reply for Trump’s harmful agenda. Senate Republicans’ toxic docket and recruitment failures enactment their bulk astatine hazard successful 2026," DSCC communications manager Maeve Coyle said successful a statement.
Paul Steinhauser is simply a authorities newsman based successful the plaything authorities of New Hampshire. He covers the run way from seashore to coast."
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