Georgia Republicans don’t rule out Senate bids as popular GOP governor remains undecided

Multiple Republicans in Georgia aren’t ruling out running for Senate in 2026 to take on vulnerable Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff—but they’re making it very clear that the nomination belongs to popular GOP Gov. Brian Kemp, if he wants it. 

“We always consider everything. I’m a moneyball kind of guy,” Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Ga., told Fox News Digital. 

He pointed to Republicans’ overperformance in his district, part of which is located in the Atlanta suburbs. “Most people realize that we have the highest voter participation in Georgia in our district,” the congressman said. “So of course we’re going to be discussed in this conversation.”

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Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., also isn’t taking himself out of the equation.

“If options come about, like this seat that I hold right now, and I see that I can win, and I see that I can make a difference, then, sure, you’re going to take a hard look at it,” he told Fox News Digital. 

However, both men stated in no uncertain terms that if Kemp chooses to run, the nomination is his. “He could win that seat very easily. He could walk away with it,” said Collins. 

“If Governor Kemp gets involved in that race, hands down, I’ll support him,” McCormick explained. “He would win that race both in the primary and the general. So, I want to be very, very specific on that.”

Ossoff’s Senate seat is rated a “Toss Up” by nonpartisan political handicapper the Cook Political Report. Coming off of President Trump’s significant win in Georgia in 2024, Republicans are preparing to spare no expense on winning the Senate seat back. 

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Kemp is the GOP favorite to compete with Ossoff for the battleground state’s Senate seat, but he hasn’t said whether he wants to launch a bid for it. 

“The governor has been clear and consistent on his timeline for making a decision about the U.S. Senate race in 2026. There is no doubt that Georgia Republicans will be united to defeat Jon Ossoff and finally have a voice that reflects our state’s values in the U.S. Senate,” Cody Hall, a senior advisor to Kemp, told Fox News Digital in a statement.

In a recent interview with Fox News Digital, Kemp explained, “I’m in the middle of my legislative session. We’ve got a big tort reform fight going on. I’m chairing the Republican Governors Association. I made a commitment on that.”

“I know I can’t keep holding out forever, so we’ll have something to say on that down the road,” he added. 

In case Kemp doesn’t choose to run, both McCormick and Collins signaled their own candidacy as possibilities. 

“But at the end of the day, you know, if he doesn’t run, the nominee that’ll get it will be the one that Donald Trump picks,” Collins predicted. 

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As to whether President Trump will weigh into the Georgia Senate Republican primary, as he did previously, former Trump campaign political director James Blair, now White House deputy chief of staff for legislative, political and public affairs, did not immediately provide comment to Fox News Digital. 

In 2022, Trump endorsed gubernatorial candidate David Perdue over Kemp, with whom he has had a strained relationship over the years. Kemp ultimately still won the nomination and the governorship, surviving the battle against a Trump-endorsed candidate, which many have fallen to. 

Trump also involved himself in the Georgia Senate race, endorsing former NFL player Herschel Walker early on to face now-Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga. Warnock won a runoff election against Walker, 51.37% to 48.63%. 

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“It’s going to be a fight,” McCormick previewed the 2026 race. “It’s going to be maybe a half-billion-dollar race, which means a lot of money and a lot of things are gonna be said.”

“We need to make sure our message is clear and that what we’re trying to represent appeals to the Georgia voters,” he added. 

Ossoff’s campaign did not provide comment to Fox News Digital in time for publication.