Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp told donors on a Friday morning fundraising call that Republicans should look beyond two sitting congressmen if they want to unseat Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) in 2026, according to leaked audio obtained by the Washington Examiner.
The race for the GOP nomination already features three candidates: Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA), a second-term trucking executive-turned-congressman who has embraced combative culture-war issues and sponsored the Laken Riley Act; Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA), a six-term Savannah pharmacist-turned-lawmaker pledging to spend at least $10 million of his fortune as a self-described “MAGA warrior”; and Derek Dooley, the former University of Tennessee football coach with no political background but the full backing of Kemp and his influential statewide network.
On the call, Kemp argued that sending another congressman into the general election would hand Democrats an opening to attack their voting records.
“To defeat a Democratic incumbent who has and will have unlimited resources in a midterm election, another congressman from the heavy, heavy Republican district with a congressional voting record isn’t going to work,” Kemp told donors. “I know and respect both Congressman Carter and Collins. This is not an attack on them, it’s just the way that I feel. Ossoff, as you all know, will have hundreds of millions of dollars to define anybody’s voting record in the worst possible light.”
Kemp then made an explicit case for Dooley, banking on his blank-slate appeal, arguing his outsider status gives him space to craft a fresh image for voters.
“Our primary goal in the Senate race remains the same: to defeat Jon Ossoff and return the seat to Republican control. I firmly believe that Derek Dooley is the best candidate to do this,” Kemp said. “While he may not have a political background, he has been tested more than most. I believe Derek gives us the best chance to win because he can go on offense and keep the campaign focused on Ossoff’s record, which is terrible for our state.”
About 150 people joined the call, which lasted roughly 10 minutes. When the governor invited questions, no one spoke up, according to two separate accounts.
Dooley will get his first high-profile appearance this weekend at the University of Georgia’s home opener in Athens, where he’ll make the tailgate rounds alongside Kemp. It marks the governor’s first public event with his chosen candidate to take on Ossoff.
Collins wasted little time in hitting back. In a statement posted to social media, he praised Kemp’s leadership but rejected the idea that his Trump-aligned record is a general election liability.
I respect Governor Kemp and the incredible job he’s done leading our state—and as I told him, I look forward to having his support once we are the nominee.
If we nominate someone who didn’t vote for Donald Trump in 2016 or 2020, never registered as a Republican, and hasn’t lived…
— Mike Collins (@MikeCollinsGA) August 29, 2025
“I respect Governor Kemp and the incredible job he’s done leading our state—and as I told him, I look forward to having his support once we are the nominee,” Collins wrote. “If we nominate someone who didn’t vote for Donald Trump in 2016 or 2020, never registered as a Republican, and hasn’t lived in Georgia for 25 years, the base will not show up, the low-propensity Trump voters will stay home, and Jon Ossoff will win again—period.”
The Georgia Congressman defended his record of backing Trump’s agenda, highlighting two bipartisan bills he sponsored that became law, and pointed to momentum behind his campaign, from legislative endorsements in all 159 counties to fundraising strength and internal polling showing him in the lead.
President Donald Trump remains the wildcard. All three Republicans are competing for his endorsement, aware it could reshape the primary overnight. Yet some in the party warn Kemp’s approach risks alienating Trump world.
“If their strategy is to run against members of Congress who have been rubber-stamping the President’s agenda by saying that agenda is a general election liability, it is beyond out of step with the White House,” a Georgia GOP operative said.
The call in which Kemp’s comments were made was hosted by the Georgians First Leadership Committee, a political fund created under a Kemp-backed law that allows the governor and a handful of others to raise unlimited contributions and coordinate directly with campaigns. The Friday morning call, held at 8:30 a.m., was billed as an “update on recent political developments within the state of Georgia.”
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Kemp had long been the subject of speculation about a possible Senate run before ruling it out earlier this year. Instead, he is now working to boost Dooley’s candidacy. Republicans have been aware of Kemp’s behind-the-scenes role, but the leaked audio offers the clearest evidence yet, in his own words, of the governor dismissing other hopefuls and making the case for his preferred candidate.