Governor Brian Kemp (R) has officially endorsed Derek Dooley for Senate in 2026. The announcement comes by way of a recent gathering in Athens, GA, to coincide with the kickoff of the college football season.
Dooley was the first to break the news, announcing it on X, stating, “I’m deeply honored to have the endorsement of the best governor in the country, (Governor Kemp)! Let’s fire Jon Ossoff and get this seat back for the people of Georgia.”
This was followed up by an announcement video featuring remarks from the Governor. Kemp made clear his desire to see Senator Jon Ossoff (D) unseated and expressed his belief that a political outsider is necessary to take charge.
He praised Dooley for spending thirty years working with normal people, as opposed to working with politicians, and proudly endorsed him because of his outsider status.
Dooley then remarked on the need for a commonsense approach to legislation that focuses on results and putting Georgians first. He tore into Ossoff for saying one thing in Georgia and doing something completely different in Washington, D.C.
Towards the end, Dooley employed populist rhetoric about ‘rolling up his sleeves’ and giving the Senate seat back to the people of Georgia.
This endorsement from Kemp may seem like a much needed boost for the outsider’s campaign, but it is likely to complicate the race for Republicans. When the Governor announced that he would not run for Senate, he stated that he would work with President Donald Trump (R) to prop up a new candidate for the race.
Trump has yet to endorse anybody, so this effort by Kemp to prop Dooley up is entirely of his own accord. In reality, the President is much more likely to endorse Representative Mike Collins (R) instead, because of his proven record as a congressman and longtime supporter.
Competing endorsements like these usually complicate primaries because they alienate voters and demand so much funding. Republicans could be in for a lengthy and difficult process when it comes to finding the best candidate to beat Ossoff.
