Georgia Republicans fear ‘circular firing squad’ in party’s Senate race

DALTON — Gov. Brian Kemp and President Donald Trump could get on the same page behind a Senate candidate to take on Democratic incumbent Jon Ossoff. But the party’s base is divided over whether that’s even a good idea.

Interviews with more than a dozen grassroots conservatives and elected officials at this weekend’s Georgia GOP convention showed a sharp split over whether Kemp and Trump should rally behind a consensus pick — and whether it would even matter to the rank-and-file.

It underscored how difficult it will be to settle on a unifying candidate, particularly now that Kemp has ruled out a bid of his own. U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter and Insurance Commissioner John King are already in the race, but other prominent figures could soon join the field.

Activists were buzzing about a possible run by Derek Dooley, a former Tennessee head football coach who is close with Kemp. He’s expected to soon meet with Republican leaders in Washington and he told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution he’ll announce his decision within weeks.

Credit: Handout

Credit: Handout

Others are also eyeing the race — most notably U.S. Rep. Mike Collins. He noted in an interview after Dooley floated his trial balloon that two of his bills were signed into law by both Trump and President Joe Biden in a two-year span, adding a bipartisan flair to his MAGA track record.

“There’s not too many people who can say that,” Collins said. “We’re working our tails off and we’re going to keep doing that. We’ll see how everything plays out and if the good lord tells me to get on the train, then I’ll get on the train.”

The argument for a joint endorsement boils down to this: Georgia is not a typical battleground state, and 2026 is not a typical election cycle.

While Ossoff is viewed as one of the most vulnerable Senate Democrats up for reelection, he’s in a far stronger position than his first victory five years ago. He’s already banked more than $11 million and is working to energize his party’s base and win over swing voters.

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Republicans, meanwhile, are still grappling with the fallout from fractious infighting that doomed past campaigns.

In 2020, Trump refused to initially endorse U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler, paving the way for a messy GOP primary that helped Democrats flip both of Georgia’s Senate seats. Two years later, Trump’s early support for Herschel Walker despite glaring red flags backfired, boosting U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock’s winning reelection campaign.

“I’m all for competition. It makes the cream rise to the top,” said Harrison Lance, a former GOP legislative candidate in Atlanta. “But Republicans love a circular firing squad. And this isn’t a gladiator match in a Roman coliseum. This is an attempt to put our best candidate forward.”

He added: “The best way to do that is to get input from the leaders of the two most powerful factions in Republican politics.”

Still snakebitten by those defeats, Kemp privately met with Trump last month to talk strategy. He later urged donors to “keep your powder dry” as they try to hash out a plan.

Since then, both camps have kept in touch in hopes of avoiding another intraparty blowup — and another primary where candidates try to out-Trump one another, pulling the field further to the right.

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“If we want to win the midterm next year Trump and Kemp need to be on the same page,” said Courtney Kramer, an attorney and former White House intern who unsuccessfully challenged Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis last year.

“If Georgia is going to stay red, they need to unite. Ossoff is going to be a very hard candidate to beat. And we need a competitive candidate.”

‘Let it play out’

Some Kemp allies see Dooley as a compelling choice for a joint endorsement. The Athens native boasts high name recognition as the son of the late Vince Dooley, the legendary University of Georgia coach and athletic director. And his lack of a political record could be spun as a strength in a state where outsider status is embraced by GOP voters.

But skepticism runs deep. A straw poll of delegates showed Dooley, who has never run for public office, at just 2%. Carter and King were in the teens. The frontrunner in the survey? Collins — who hasn’t even entered the race — led with 39%.

“Let it play out. Let’s see what happens,” said David Hamrick, a gun rights activist who doubts that even a joint Kemp-Trump endorsement would settle things. “Some people won’t ever believe they can actually get on the same page.”

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U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a staunch Trump ally who was nobody’s frontrunner when she first ran for Congress, warned of the risks of trying to anoint a front-runner too early.

“I’ve always thought there’s tremendous power between President Trump and Gov. Kemp,” said Greene in an interview, adding: “But the people of Georgia need to pick who they want.”

There’s also a growing likelihood of a prolonged primary battle even if Trump and Kemp strike a deal. Carter and King have vowed to stay in the race regardless, and Carter has already spent more than $2 million on campaign ads promoting his nascent bid.

Josh McKoon, the newly reelected Georgia GOP chair, said Dooley should not be underestimated. But he acknowledged that no one is likely to deliver a “knockout blow” the way Kemp would have if he’d entered the race.

He also has practical reasons to hope for a consensus nominee. It would save the party time, treasure and the risk of a runoff that would cut into the general election season.

“People want choices. I get that. But selfishly, in this role, I’d love to see a winnowing of the primary field,” McKoon told “Politically Georgia,” noting how Democrats enjoy the power of incumbency.

“They obviously already have their candidate,” he added. “So anything that can be done to reduce the amount of money and effort that is spent fighting each other in that primary would be helpful.”