President Donald Trump is already looming large over the 2026 Georgia Senate race.
On the Democratic side, Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) is appealing to the Democratic base and betting on liberal anger at Trump’s second term to propel him to reelection.
Meanwhile, Gov. Brian Kemp, the sought-after GOP recruit who clashed with Trump in the past, is studiously avoiding criticizing the president as he weighs a Senate run.
Georgia marks Republicans’ best flip opportunity of the 2026 cycle, since Ossoff is the only Senate Democrat up for reelection in a state that Trump carried in 2024.
Ossoff not holding back: Even though Trump won Georgia in November, Ossoff isn’t pulling any punches against the president.
A recent AJC poll found Trump underwater in Georgia. In the same poll, Kemp was the only Republican contender who ran ahead of Ossoff.
Meanwhile, Kemp has largely chosen silence instead. Trump’s cost-cutting plans have taken aim at Georgia universities that rely on NIH grants, but Kemp hasn’t weighed in. When the White House turned down Kemp’s request for additional disaster aid, the governor also didn’t speak out.
Ossoff has hailed the Inflation Reduction Act’s funding boost to Georgia’s economy. But as Trump seems to unwind the legislation, Kemp isn’t crying foul.
Another flashpoint in the state is over mass layoffs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In response to the firings, Kemp said “government can stand a little right-sizing.” Ossoff declined to comment and the senator’s team pointed us to Ossoff’s town hall demand for Kemp to oppose the CDC cuts.
The Kemp-Trump background: After a high-profile feud stemming from the 2020 election fallout, Kemp and Trump negotiated a detente during the closing months of the 2024 campaign. Trump stopped openly bashing Kemp, while the Georgia governor worked for a GOP presidential victory.
If Kemp jumps in the race, questions will only intensify about whether he approves of Trump’s actions. To win, Kemp — who can’t run for governor in 2026 due to term limits — will need to unite a coalition of Trump supporters and moderate Republicans. Kemp’s team didn’t respond to requests for comment.
Who else could jump in? Trump ally Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) is sending fundraising appeals to supporters asking whether she should run against Ossoff.
