Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on Saturday endorsed Republican Derek Dooley in Georgia’s 2026 U.S. Senate race, arguing an outsider without congressional experience can best critique Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff’s record.
“I’m a firm believer that we need a political outsider to do that, someone that can stay focused on his record, but also someone who has a vision for our state in the future,” Kemp said. “That is not a politician.”
Kemp’s choice of Dooley is hardly a surprise — he told other Republican candidates that he would back Dooley before the former University of Tennessee football coach even entered the race. But Kemp’s appearance with Dooley on Saturday before a University of Georgia football game in Athens underlines the investment of Georgia’s second-term governor in a political novice — along with Kemp spending on Dooley’s behalf and detailing his closest political aides to run Dooley’s campaign.
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