The Frank
Home
Today's Fastrack
About
Subscribe
Brian Kemp Won’t Run for US Senate in 2026

Brian Kemp Won’t Run for US Senate in 2026

author
author

The Frank Staff

The Frank Staff.
[email protected]
@TheFrank_com
The Frank Staff
author

The Frank Staff

The Frank Staff.
[email protected]
@TheFrank_com

May 6, 2025

·

0 min read

Share options

Email
Facebook
X
Telegram
WhatsApp
Reddit

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has announced that he will not be a candidate in the U.S. Senate election in Georgia in 2026.

A Republican serving his second and final term as governor, Kemp has long been seen as the prime candidate for the Republican nomination in the election.

Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), who is seeking reelection, won his Senate seat in 2020, when former Vice President Joe Biden won the state—and the presidential election.

President Donald Trump won the state in 2024. Hence, the GOP views Georgia as a prime battleground to grow its Senate majority during the 2026 midterm congressional elections.

Kemp said he had consulted with many people about the race but decided against running for personal reasons.

“I have had many conversations with friends, supporters, and leaders across the country who encouraged me to run for the US Senate in 2026...[a]fter those discussions, I have decided that being on the ballot next year is not the right decision for me and my family,” Kemp wrote on social media.

Kemp’s profile in federal Republican politics has been largely defined by his relationship with Trump, who endorsed him for the state’s gubernatorial race in 2018, which he narrowly won against former State Rep. Stacey Abrams (D) while serving as Georgia’s secretary of state.

Kemp’s relationship with Trump soured in 2020 when he disagreed with Trump’s challenge of the results of the 2020 presidential election in the state, which Biden won by fewer than 12,000 votes. Kemp was reelected as governor in 2022 by a large margin over Abrams in a rematch after Trump opposed him in the Republican primary.

During the 2024 election, their relationship improved. In his May 5 message regarding the Senate election, Kemp wrote that he had spoken with Trump about the decision and committed to supporting the eventual Republican gubernatorial nominee.

Democrats were gleeful about Kemp dropping out.

“Brian Kemp’s decision to not run for the Senate in 2026 is yet another embarrassing Republican Senate recruitment failure as they face a building midterm backlash,” wrote Maeve Coyle, communications director for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), on social media.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), which is the DSCC’s counterpart and is responsible for electing Republicans to the U.S. Senate, made no mention of Kemp’s decision in response to the news and indicated confidence about the Georgia race.

“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,” wrote Joanna Rodriguez, the NRSC’s spokesperson, in a statement circulated to multiple news organizations.

Several Republicans in Georgia have been mentioned as possible candidates. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) is reported to be interested. A poll conducted by the Trafalgar Group, which is the GOP’s primary polling vendor, showed Greene with 43 percent support in a primary without Kemp—leading the next potential candidate by double-digits.

Share options

Email
Facebook
X
Telegram
WhatsApp
Reddit

US-China Trade War Paused with 90-Day Tariff Cuts

May 12, 2025

2 min

Emmanuel Macron 'Cocaine' Conspiracy Erupt After Kyiv Meeting

May 12, 2025

2 min

Meet Russell Vought: Trump Official Who Is Taking Over DOGE from Musk

May 12, 2025

3 min

Newark Airport Suffers Third System Outage in Less Than 2 Weeks

May 12, 2025

2 min

Republicans’ Partial Tax Plan to Cost $5 Trillion

May 12, 2025

2 min

Diddy Case in Danger as Key Witness Remains Awol on Eve of Trial Start

May 12, 2025

5 min

DHS Investigates California Program Giving Illegal Aliens Cash Assistance

May 12, 2025

2 min

White House Says Trade Deal Reached with China

May 12, 2025

4 min

Trump to Sign Executive Order to Cut Drug Prices by Up to 80%

May 12, 2025

2 min

Zelensky Agrees to Meet with Putin in Turkey on Thursday

May 12, 2025

2 min

Trump to Accept Luxury Jet from Qatar to Use as Air Force 1

May 12, 2025

4 min

Hamas to Release Israeli-American Hostage Edan Alexander

May 12, 2025

4 min

NC College Student Killed by ‘Career Criminal’ as She Slept

May 12, 2025

2 min

Elizabeth Holmes’s Partner Raises Millions for Blood-Testing Startup

May 12, 2025

3 min

ICE Attacked During Arrest of Violent Illegal Immigrant

May 12, 2025

2 min

Actor John Cleese Suggests Hanging Stephen Miller ‘By the Neck’ — Deletes Tweet

May 11, 2025

1 min

DOGE Deactivates Over 500,000 Credit Cards

May 12, 2025

2 min

Diddy Trial Drama: Star Witness Vanishes Ahead of Testimony

May 11, 2025

1 min

Zelensky Responds to Putin’s Counterproposal: Ceasefire, Then We Talk

May 11, 2025

3 min

Ocasio-Cortez Not Ruling White House Bid Out

May 11, 2025

4 min

  • Today's Fastrack
  • About
  • Contact
  • Policy & Terms
  • Recaptcha