Marjorie Taylor Greene won’t challenge Ossoff in U.S. Senate race
ATLANTA, Ga. - U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene will not run for the U.S. Senate in 2026, the congresswoman announced.
Greene had been considered a Republican frontrunner to challenge Democratic incumbent Job Ossoff after Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp announced he would not run in the election.
U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter on Thursday became the first Republican to jump into the race.
MORE FROM NEWS 12
Politics: The latest from across the Peach State
- Ossoff walks a fine line between Trump criticism and bipartisanship
- Onetime Vance roommate running for Ga. lieutenant governor
- Ga. voters demand action, ability from Ossoff in town hall
- Kemp won’t run for Senate seat in 2026 against Ossoff
- New Ga. Democratic chair says party hasn’t fought enough
- What poll shows about Georgians’ approval for Trump
In her announcement, Greene slammed the Republican establishment, saying:
“I won’t fight for a team that refuses to win, that protects its weakest players, and that undermines the very people it’s supposed to serve.”
However, Greene said nothing about a possible gubernatorial run next year in Georgia’s wide-open governor’s race.
Georgia budget includes more Medicaid funding as federal cuts loom
Georgia’s new $37.7 billion state budget increases funding for key programs such as education, prisons, and Medicaid.
Greene, one of the most controversial figures in American politics, is a staunch and unapologetic er of President Donald Trump. On Thursday, the U.S. House of Representatives ed a bill authored by Greene to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, an idea espoused by Trump in his inaugural address.
And she’s known for speaking her mind, for example following up a post after Pope Francis’ death with a statement to Catholic bishops that they are controlled by Satan.
Kemp had been rumored to be a possible Republican challenger to Ossoff, the one-term senator who made his reelection campaign official in March.
Timeline set for Helene aid to farmers as Georgia enacts tax breaks
Crop insurance and disaster payments following Helene damage is exempt from Ga. state income taxes, but the flow of funds could be months away.
Last month, two prominent GOP US senators - Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota and Tim Scott of South Carolina - flew to Atlanta to meet Kemp for lunch. Scott is chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
With Kemp and Greene now out of consideration, other GOP contenders rumored to be mulling a Senate run are U.S. Rep. Mike Collins and Rich McCormick; Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger; Insurance and Fire Safety Commissioner John King; and Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper.
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.
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.
Copyright 2025 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
