Forsyth, Ga. — Gov. Brian Kemp said he’s trying to “line up” with President Donald Trump on a consensus Republican candidate to challenge U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff. But he cautioned that’s no simple prospect.
In his first public remarks since passing on a challenge against the first-term Democrat, the governor said he decided against a bid because he wants to “stay focused on what the people elected me to do.”
“I’ve got the best job in politics, and a lot of times you can get more done in a year and a half being governor than you can in two terms in the U.S. Senate,” said Kemp.
The two-term governor, a diehard Bulldog football fan, also compared a decision to run for the Senate to a move by legendary University of Georgia coach Kirby Smart to leave the school for the hated Florida Gators. It just wasn’t going to happen.
“I know it’s very important, but I’ve just gotten so much done as governor,” said Kemp. “And I really feel like I still have a lot left to do. And I just want to stay focused on the job that people elected me to do. And then after that, we’ll see what happens.”
The governor’s decision to forgo a campaign scrambled the race against Ossoff, who is considered one of the most vulnerable Democratic incumbents on the ballot next year.
The latest Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll, released last week, showed Kemp’s approval ratings hovering around 60%. He was the only Republican of four tested in the AJC poll within striking distance of Ossoff in a hypothetical matchup.
Credit: AJC
Credit: AJC
The jockeying is already underway. U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter of St. Simons on Thursday became the first prominent Republican to enter the race.
He launched his campaign with a TV ad declaring himself a “MAGA warrior” — and a pledge to dip into his personal fortune to boost his name recognition in vote-rich metro Atlanta.
Insurance Commissioner John King and U.S. Rep. Mike Collins of Jackson have already laid the groundwork for campaigns. U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has openly mused about a potential run. Many others could jump in.
Kemp disclosed Thursday that he discussed with Trump the potential of coalescing behind one GOP contender. But although their nasty feud has faded, the two have clashed over picks for the Senate in the past.
After Kemp tapped executive Kelly Loeffler to an open U.S. Senate seat in 2019, Trump was upset he didn’t have more influence in the decision. His supporters urged then-U. S. Rep. Doug Collins to enter the race.
That led to a bitter, prolonged battle for Trump’s favor that divided the party’s base and gave Democrat Raphael Warnock a chance to consolidate his support. Trump has since tapped both Collins and Loeffler to his Cabinet, while Warnock won a full six-year term in 2022.
In this cycle, Kemp’s allies say he’s hoping to steer the conversation toward a candidate who can win crossover voters, as he did when he twice defeated Democrat Stacey Abrams.
For now, Kemp said he’s taking a “wait-and-see attitude” over who could emerge.
“I had a good conversation with President Trump about my decision. I’m going to continue talking to him about the races in Georgia,” Kemp said.
“I think, if it’s possible, it would be great if we could line up on things. That’s hard to do sometimes in primaries. But it’s really too early to tell on how that’s going to shake out.”
More from the interview:
On why he didn’t run:
“Look, I’ve got the best job in politics, and a lot of times you can get more done in a year and a half being governor than you can in two terms in the US Senate. I just want to stay focused on what the people elected me here to do. We’ve got a great state. We still have an awful lot to do.”
“But just because my name is not going to be on the ballot, that doesn’t mean that I won’t be on the political playing field, helping hold our majorities in the House, in the Senate — and making sure that we retake, as Republicans, one of our Senate seats that we really never should have lost, and make sure that I have a great Republican successor that will build off the things that I built off when I got in office that Governor Perdue and Governor Deal had done.”
On the personal side of the decision:
“We had so many people urging us to run, and it’s really humbling that people think that much of us and the things that we’ve gotten done, how effective that we have been. But it’s just an honor being governor of a great state like Georgia.”
“I was sitting next to Kirby Smart and (his wife) Mary Beth — Marty and I were at a funeral yesterday — and I was thinking to myself: This would be like him leaving Georgia to go coach in Florida. That’s what it would have been like for me leaving the governor’s office to campaign the next year-and-a-half for a job like U.S. Senate."
“I know it’s very important, but I’ve just gotten so much done as governor. And I really feel like I still have a lot left to do. And I just want to stay focused on the job that people elected me to do. And then after that, we’ll see what happens.”
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