Even Without Gov. Kemp, GOP Can Win Ga. Senate Seat

It was inevitable much of the media would immediately conclude Georgia GOP Gov. Brian Kemp opting out of challenging Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., all but doomed the GOP's chances of picking up a Senate seat in 2026.

But while the two-term governor was clearly his party's best candidate, he was by no means its only candidate. As talk that Kemp would pass on a Senate bid increased before his announcement, several other Republican officeholders in the Peach State began to seriously explore Senate races of their own.

A Trafalgar Group poll completed just before Kemp's announcement showed GOP Rep. Mike Collins in the strongest position of all — trailing Ossoff by only 48% to 43% statewide. Collins, an ally of President Donald Trump and son of the late, much-loved Rep. Mac Collins, is reportedly seriously considering the Senate race.

Trafalgar also showed two-term Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger trailing Ossoff by 46% to 38% and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene — easily the most outspoken and divisive of any potential GOP hopeful — trailing Ossoff by 48% to 37%. Both Greene and Raffensperger are considered in the exploratory stages of a possible Senate bid.

Also reportedly pondering a bid for the Republican Senate nomination are Rep. Buddy Carter and State Insurance Commissioner John King, both stalwart conservatives and strong Trump backers.

"If Kemp keeps his team together to help, the Republican will win," former Rep. John Linder, R-Ga., a past chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee, told Newsmax. "Ossoff has been absent for four years. He generates no news or presence."

Inevitably, there are still questions about why Kemp decided to forgo the Senate race and what, at age 61, he will do next.

"Brian Kemp and his family apparently thought eight good years as governor was enough for now and that he can successfully transition into the private sector for a while," veteran Georgia TV pundit and public relations man Phil Kent said. "However, don't count him out politically. He has a big kitty of donations. And some supporters tout him as a potential 2028 presidential candidate or a 2028 vice presidential pick."

John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.