This story was updated on Monday, May 5 at 6:50 p.m.
Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp says he will not run for U.S. Senate in 2026, a blow to national Republicans who spent months courting the term-limited governor to challenge Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff.
Kemp announced his decision on social media, writing that, “I have decided that being on the ballot next year is not the right decision for me and my family.”
He says he spoke with President Donald Trump and Senate leadership on Monday and emphasized his commitment to helping elect the eventual Republican nominee.
“I am confident we will be united in that important effort, and I look forward to electing the next generation of leaders up and down the ballot here in the Peach State who will keep our state and nation headed in the right direction in 2026 and beyond,” Kemp wrote.
First elected in 2018, Kemp has become one of the most popular politicians in Georgia, cruising to reelection over Democrat Stacey Abrams in 2022, despite a Trump-backed primary challenge.
The two men clashed in the weeks after the 2020 election, after Kemp rebuffed Trump’s requests for help overturning the election result. In the 2024 GOP primary, Kemp said he left his ballot blank.
But by the end of that summer, Kemp and Trump reached a truce, shaking hands outside Augusta as they met to survey damage from Hurricane Helene. Kemp has kept Trump at arms-length since he returned to the White House, neither outright criticizing or embracing him.
Though asked about Trump’s abrupt cuts to the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Kemp told reporters the federal government could stand a little “right-sizing.”
Over nearly seven years in office, Kemp has presided over a massive budget surplus and, last month, signed into law a once-in-a-generation overhaul of Georgia’s civil litigation rules.
But he has been roundly criticized by Democrats for signing contentious legislation such as a sweeping overhaul of Georgia election rules and a law banning most abortions after roughly six weeks.
The Republican Senate field has been largely frozen as Kemp weighed a run. In the coming weeks, other Republicans are expected to jump into the race. Insurance Commissioner John King is among the Republicans who have said they would consider a run if Kemp took a pass.
Still, Kemp was seen by many strategists as having the best shot to unseat Ossoff, especially in a climate that might be more favorable to Democrats amid the uncertainty created by Trump’s tariffs and swift moves to slash the footprint of the federal government.
Ossoff ousted Republican Sen. David Perdue in a 2021 runoff, helping deliver control of the Senate to Democrats as Biden ascended to the White House. Ossoff has been gearing up for his reelection campaign, hosting a boisterous rally and a town hall in recent weeks.
“As we’ve said for the past few months, Senator Ossoff is well-prepared to defeat any challenger,” Ossoff campaign manager Ellen Foster wrote in a statement. “As Republicans scramble in the aftermath, our campaign will continue to build insurmountable momentum needed to win next November.”
Ossoff is the only incumbent Democrat defending a seat Trump won in 2024. Michigan has an open Senate seat, vacated by retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters.
An Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll this month found Kemp to be the only Republican neck and neck with Ossoff in a hypothetical matchup. The survey showed Ossoff with healthy leads over King, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee had been actively recruiting Kemp, but a top Republican in Washington told WABE that others had expressed interest in running if Kemp decided not to run.
“Republicans have a number of strong candidates who can build a winning coalition to add this seat to President Trump’s Senate majority,” Joanna Rodriguez, spokesperson for NRSC, wrote in a statement.
But skipping a Senate run does not mean Kemp’s political career will end when he leaves office in 2027. Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock is up for reelection in 2028, opening up another shot at the Senate. And of course, the GOP field for the presidency will be open that year as well.
This is a developing story that will be updated.
