GOP’s Buddy Carter launches bid for Ga. U.S. Senate seat
ATLANTA, Ga. - U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter on Thursday became the first Republican to jump into the race to challenge Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff in 2026, as other hopefuls maneuver following Gov. Brian Kemp’s announcement that he won’t seek the seat.
Carter, who has long had his eye on statewide office, released a video ad proclaiming that President Donald Trump “has a warrior in Buddy Carter” and attacking Ossoff.
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At least six other Georgia Republicans have said they’re considering a run for Senate. Best known among them is U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. Also included are two other Georgia Republicans in Congress — Mike Collins and Rich McCormick. Other potential candidates include Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, state Insurance Commissioner John King and state Sen. Greg Dolezal.
Though not well-known statewide, Carter has been a political fixture along Georgia’s coast for nearly three decades. The 67-year-old pharmacist served as mayor of Pooler just outside Savannah and was a lawmaker in the state House and Senate before being elected to Congress in 2014.
Carter, while still touting bipartisan legislative efforts, particularly around prescription drugs, has sought to move closer to President Donald Trump, casting himself as a “MAGA Warrior” in Thursday’s announcement.
No serious Democratic challengers have emerged to Ossoff, who launched his reelection campaign in March with sharp attacks on Trump. But Ossoff also says he’ll work with Trump to help Georgia and says working with Republicans is the best way to get things done in Washington.
Who else might run?
U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, from Georgia’s 10th congressional district and main sponsor of the Laken Riley Act, which was the first bill ed out of the new Congress and the first bill signed into law by President Donald Trump at the outset of his second term.
“Republicans can absolutely win this Senate seat in Georgia, and I encourage all interested parties to fully commit and invest in the number one pick up opportunity in the country,” he said in a statement. “I will speak to President Trump and his team and do whatever is necessary to ensure he has another vote in the Senate for the America First agenda.”
U.S. Rep. Rich McCormick, who represents metro Atlanta’s 7th congressional district.
Insurance and Fire Safety Commissioner John King, the first Hispanic Republican ever to win a Georgia statewide constitutional office.
King, who was appointed by Kemp and has been a close ally, heaped praise on Kemp, calling him “the best governor in America” in a statement.
U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, from northwest Georgia’s 14th congressional district and a prolific fundraiser who may have gone as far as she can go in the House. She has said she’s considering running for Senate or governor in 2026, but her entry into either race would likely prompt internal opposition from more traditional Republicans, including those aligned with Kemp.
Georgia’s Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger was first elected to the position in 2018 and was overwhelmingly re-elected in 2022. There have been rumblings that he could potentially run for governor or senator.
Raffensperger, long a target of Trump because of his unwillingness to overturn Trump’s 2020 loss to Democratic President Joe Biden in Georgia, was noncommittal on Monday.
“All options are on the table,” said Jordan Fuchs, a spokesperson for Raffensperger.
A number of top-tier Republicans appear to have excluded themselves by taking top positions in President Donald Trump’s istration, including former U.S. Rep. Doug Collins, currently secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs; former U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler, head of the Small Business istration; and former U.S. Sen. David Perdue, ambassador-designate to China.
Georgia’s 2026 Senate campaign is likely to be closely contested and expensive. The twin Senate races in 2020, when Ossoff and Raphael Warnock narrowly won and flipped control of the body to Democrats, cost more than $900 million combined, according to OpenSecrets, which tracks political spending.
Warnock’s 2022 reelection over Republican Herschel Walker cost more than $470 million, OpenSecrets found.
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