Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp will not run for Senate in 2026, leaving Republicans without a clear frontrunner to challenge Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff.
Ossoff remains the GOP’s top Senate target next year, given that he’s the only Democratic incumbent running in a state that President Trump carried. But without Kemp in the race, a large and potentially divisive Republican primary looms which could produce a damaged or controversial nominee.
While Kemp’s decision is a clear boon for Democrats and a blow to Republican recruitment efforts, until the GOP field comes more clearly into focus, we are keeping this race in the Toss Up column.
Kemp was the subject of a heavy pressure campaign from national Republicans to run. In recent weeks, both Senate Majority Leader John Thune and National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Tim Scott — who publicly called Kemp their “Number One recruit” — had made the sojourn to Atlanta to make their pitch. Other GOP senators also reached out to Kemp.
Early polls also showed the term-limited governor — who remains broadly popular in the swing state —
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