“MAGA Warrior” Enters Critical U.S. Senate Election

Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA) announced he will run for U.S. Senate in 2026.

“I’m running for U.S. Senate. Georgians will have a very simple choice in 2026: do you want a MAGA warrior for you or do you want a trans warrior for they/them? I’m with you,” Carter said.

“You can guess where Jon Ossoff is. Game on,” he added.

WATCH:

I’m running for U.S. Senate.

Georgians will have a very simple choice in 2026: do you want a MAGA warrior for you or do you want a trans warrior for they/them?

I’m with you. You can guess where Jon Ossoff is.

Game on. pic.twitter.com/0epntUGa2O

— Buddy Carter (@Buddy_Carter) May 8, 2025

From POLITICO:

The announcement comes only days after Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said he’d pass on a run for Senate in the midterms, a blow to Republicans’ efforts to take the seat. Kemp’s absence paves the way for what could be a crowded primary.

“I have decided that being on the ballot next year is not the right decision for me and my family,” Kemp said in a statement on Monday. “I spoke with President Trump and Senate leadership earlier today and expressed my commitment to work alongside them to ensure we have a strong Republican nominee who can win next November.”

Carter praised Kemp’s “dedicated service to the state of Georgia” on social media after the governor’s announcement while also proclaiming the need for a senator that will push Trump’s agenda forward.

“Georgians voted for Donald Trump overwhelmingly in November and deserve someone who is going to support him, and the will of the people, in the Senate,” he said in a Monday post on X.

“Right now, I am focused on serving the First Congressional District of Georgia, and will continue to do so in whatever capacity God and the people of Georgia wish me to serve. We must continue working to advance President Trump’s full agenda through reconciliation and prevent the largest tax hike in American history, an increase that Jon Ossoff supports,” Carter wrote.

“This will crush hardworking Americans, and House Republicans are hard at work to build an economy that works for, not against, taxpayers,” he added.

Thank you, Governor Kemp, for your years of friendship and dedicated service to the state of Georgia. You’ve made us proud and will continue to do so in your next endeavors. It’s been a pleasure to serve alongside you, and I wish your family well.

Right now, I am focused on…

— Buddy Carter (@Buddy_Carter) May 5, 2025

Per Roll Call:

A crowded Republican primary is still likely, however. Potential candidates include Reps. Rich McCormick and Mike Collins, as well as Georgia Insurance Commissioner John King and state Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is weighing a bid for either Senate or governor.

Ossoff is a top GOP target this cycle in a state that Trump narrowly carried last fall. He topped CQ Roll Call’s latest list of the most vulnerable senators of 2026, while Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales rates the race a Battleground.

Ossoff entered the Senate in 2021 after unseating Republican incumbent David Perdue in a runoff, a result that gave Democrats control of the chamber. Now, a year and a half out from the midterm elections, he’s already begun stockpiling a formidable campaign war chest and raised a staggering $11.2 million in the first three months of this year.

Carter, a pharmacist and former state legislator, was first elected to represent Georgia’s 1st District in 2014, succeeding Republican Jack Kingston. He easily won a sixth term to his Savannah-anchored district last fall by 24 points, and Republicans will be heavily favored to keep the seat in party hands next year. Trump carried the district by 16 points in 2024, according to calculations by elections analyst Drew Savicki.

Thoughts?