More 2026 News As Buddy Carter Pondering Senate Run.
From Punchbowl News:
News: Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.) is emerging as a potential contender to challenge Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) in 2026.
Many top Republicans are hoping that popular two-term GOP Gov. Brian Kemp jumps into the race. But if Kemp decides to pass up a Senate run, Carter indicated he’d be interested in a statewide bid.
“Let’s see what the governor does,” Carter told us this week. “If the governor runs, he will clear the field in a Republican primary. If he doesn’t run, we’ll see. God’s got a plan.”
Carter also took a clear shot at Ossoff last week in a social media post that raised eyebrows in GOP circles. The Georgia Republican accused Ossoff of “already running scared” and tied him to the Biden administration.
Carter, 67, has represented a Savannah-area seat since 2015. The Republican unsuccessfully sought to lead the House Budget Committee last cycle and is a senior member of the powerful Energy and Commerce panel.
Carter came to Congress after serving several years in the Georgia legislature. He also owned a successful South Georgia pharmacy.
Ossoff will be one of the most vulnerable Democratic senators in 2026. After voting for President Joe Biden in 2020, Georgia voters swung to the right this November and backed President-elect Donald Trump.
Since winning a six-year term as a 33-year-old in 2020, Ossoff has largely avoided the national spotlight and trained his focus on hyper-local issues.
In recent weeks, Ossoff reportedly pushed for state party chair Rep. Nikema Williams (D-Ga.) to step down from her post. Ossoff has refused to publicly speak about his relationship with Williams.
GOP view: A constant frustration for Georgia Republicans is their failure to secure the state’s two Senate seats. Controversial GOP nominee Herschel Walker advanced to a runoff against Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock in 2022 but fell short. Kemp is seen as a top-tier Senate candidate that Republicans have been lacking.
Kemp told Fox News this week that he expected to be courted by Senate Republicans to run against Ossoff. But the governor may also have his eyes on a White House run in 2028, opening the door for other Republicans to enter the Senate primary.
Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.) called Carter “a viable candidate” but said that “there’s probably not going to be a shortage of candidates.”
Carter’s House colleagues agreed that Kemp is the prohibitive favorite. But Trump’s endorsement will matter.
“If Brian Kemp wants to be the nominee for U.S. senator for the state of Georgia, I think Brian Kemp will be the nominee,” Rep. Austin Scott (R-Ga.) said. “If Kemp is not in the race, it’s whoever Trump endorses.”
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), a top Trump ally, blasted Ossoff for voting with national Democrats. Greene said that “a Trump-aligned candidate that’s proven themselves could easily beat Jon Ossoff.”
It’s worth noting that Trump floated the idea of MTG running for Senate during a rally last year.
Democrats aren’t tuning in quite yet. Warnock told us this week he had “no idea” what Republicans were jockeying to take on Ossoff.
— Mica Soellner and Max Cohen
