Additionally, when he decided not to run, surveys indicated that Kemp was Ossoff’s best opponent; therefore, a Republican defeat the following year might come back to harm Kemp. Supporting a Republican he believes will win the statewide general election is the first step toward resolving all of that.
The governor has spoken with President Donald Trump several times since he chose not to run in an attempt to arrange for a Georgia Republican to run against Ossoff to receive the Kemp-Trump support.
With a double endorsement from Georgia’s two most popular Republicans, the congested GOP field would probably be cleared for whoever the two men supported, allowing them to concentrate on defeating Ossoff. Additionally, a united front would prevent the dreaded Kemp vs. Trump narrative, which has dominated Georgia Republican politics for nearly as long as the two men have been involved. Everything is going OK so far.
In essence, Kemp kept the largest pot of political funds in the state away from the two leading Republicans already running, U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter and Insurance Commissioner John King, by telling his own high-dollar donors to keep their powder dry as the Senate field solidified after their initial meeting with Trump to discuss the race.
In a different move, the governor also urged Derek Dooley, the former University of Tennessee football coach, to run for the Senate.
Although Kemp’s college roommate’s brother and a longstanding family friend, Dooley is not a clear political contender. Since becoming well-known in the collegiate football community, he has actually never discussed politics in public. What is his opinion of Trump? Republicans? Abortion? Immigration? Who knows?
The governor’s clear endorsement of Dooley did not deter U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, a pro-MAGA ally of both Kemp and Trump, from launching his own Senate campaign, even while Dooley remained hidden and hired two of Kemp’s top political strategists to manage his campaign. Using social media posts about revving his engines and kicking tires, the trucking company owner and son of the late Congressman Mac Collins hinted at his Senate race.
Kemp contacted Collins, Carter, and King on Thursday to inform them that he would not be endorsing any of them and would instead support Dooley due to the increasingly crowded field against Ossoff. King, a former police chief and retired major general in the National Guard, left within hours.
Carter was also trying to avoid being asked if he would drop out. AndCollins stated that he is moving forward.
Even while Kemp’s initial objective was to steer clear of a confrontation with Trump during the GOP primary, that might be precisely where this is going. Although Kemp informed Collins that he would not back him in the GOP primary, the Trump-friendly Washington Examiner published an article highlighting Dooley’s prior unwillingness to support or donate to Trump.
Will Trump ever support someone who hasn’t stood up for him? It’s difficult to imagine.
In a battleground state like Georgia, however, it might also be the key to Dooley’s possible appeal. Although Collins portrays himself as a fierce MAGA fighter, nobody other than Trump has had success with that formula in a Georgia general election thus far.
A candidate who hasn’t been a Trump supporter may be Republicans’ best hope to win a midterm election that is turning out to be a referendum on the president’s second term, especially if Ossoff wants to put Trump’s record on the ballot in 2026. Of all, until Dooley actually appears, it is impossible to predict what kind of candidate he will be. Collins, meanwhile, is prepared to roll.
Long ago, I discovered that Kemp is not to be taken lightly. The two-term Republican has avoided disaster whenever almost everyone, including myself, expected defeat, from being the first governor to reopen during COVID to guiding the state through the chaos of the 2020 election to winning reelection in the face of President Donald Trump’s rage.
Kemp, however, is taking yet another significant risk by placing himself in the midst of the GOP primary and choosing an unproven political outsider in the process. In 2014, a political novice in a crowded GOP Senate field served under billionaire David Perdue. However, Kemp’s 2019 selection of Kelly Loeffler, an equally unconventional choice, didn’t go as smoothly.
A victory or defeat in the Senate election will also be interpreted as a victory or defeat for Kemp, given all of his behind-the-scenes actions during the campaign against Ossoff. Even though he isn’t on the 2026 ballot, the governor is still in the running.
