It's been one week since Kemp declined a Senate run. What's happened in the race since?

Caption

Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John King announced his bid Monday to run for Sen. Jon Ossoff's seat in 2026.

Credit: GPB

Two major Republican candidates have jumped in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate only a week after Gov. Brian Kemp announced he will not run for the seat.

Kemp's announcement opened up the Republican primary to challenge incumbent Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff in 2026. 

U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter became the first major Republican to declare his candidacy in a post Friday morning. He’s represented Coastal Georgia in Congress for over a decade, and his announcement video featured clips from a 2024 Trump campaign rally.

"Buddy Carter: warrior, great guy," Trump said in the ad. 

Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John King announced his candidacy Monday morning in videos in English and Spanish posted to social media. He’s the first Hispanic statewide elected official in Georgia. 

"What truly scares me today is having Jon Ossoff for six more years," King said in the video. "President Trump got sent to Washington D.C. to solve some very big problems. He needs help and I'm asking for your support to go help President Trump."

Both King and Carter promoted their loyalty to Trump, who won Georgia in 2024 with 50.73% of the vote. Trump's endorsement in the primary election could boost the candidate he picks. Kemp's endorsement could also help a candidate. 

Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene put questions to rest, saying she will not run for the seat in a social media post late Friday.

"Someone once said, 'The Senate is where good ideas go to die,'"she said in an X article. "They were right. That’s why I’m not running."

Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper, U.S. Rep. Rich McCormick, and U.S. Rep. Mike Collins are also rumored to be considering a run and others could jump in.

Ossoff's campaign manager, Ellen Foster, said that Ossoff will "defeat" any Republican challenger. 

“While the GOP primary field scrambles to outmaneuver each other and audition for Donald Trump’s support, Senator Ossoff’s campaign is already building the most effective and unstoppable turnout effort in Georgia’s history," she said in a statement. 

The 2026 Senate race in Georgia is expected to be one of the most competitive and expensive in the country.