Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp told donors on a Friday morning fundraising call that Republicans should look beyond two sitting congressmen if they want to unseat Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) in 2026, according to leaked audio obtained by the Washington Examiner.
The race for the GOP nomination already features three candidates: Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA), a second-term trucking executive-turned-congressman who has embraced combative culture-war issues and sponsored the Laken Riley Act; Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA), a six-term Savannah pharmacist-turned-lawmaker pledging to spend at least $10 million of his fortune as a self-described “MAGA warrior”; and Derek Dooley, the former University of Tennessee football coach with no political background but the full backing of Kemp and his influential statewide network.
