Georgia Republicans are sounding alarms over Derek Dooley’s floated Senate bid, calling the former football coach’s potential run a risky distraction in what many see as the GOP’s top pickup opportunity of 2026.
Dooley, a former Tennessee football coach and son of University of Georgia legend Vince Dooley, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in early June that he plans to decide in the coming weeks whether to enter the Republican primary.
Several GOP operatives, lawmakers, and strategists interviewed by the Washington Examiner questioned Dooley’s political experience, name recognition, and fundraising ability, warning that another untested candidate could risk a top-tier pickup and complicate the party’s efforts to grow its narrow Senate majority.
The seat is currently held by Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA), whose 2021 win helped cement Democratic control of the Senate at the time. With Republicans now controlling the upper chamber and eyeing expansion in 2026, Georgia has emerged as one of the party’s top offensive targets. But insiders caution that the stakes are too high to risk nominating a political newcomer in what’s expected to be one of the cycle’s most expensive and competitive races.
The GOP field remains unsettled. So far, three candidates have officially entered the race: Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA), state Insurance Commissioner John King, and activist Reagan Box. Several others are weighing bids, including Reps. Mike Collins (R-GA) and Rich McCormick (R-GA), Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, and state Sen. Greg Dolezal.
One conservative activist argued the current lineup has failed to inspire confidence.
“Everyone I talk with at the state Capitol to county GOP meetings thinks the current two candidates are total minor league operations that are not ready for the big game,” the person said. “And whoever thought up the Derek Dooley idea must be trying to pull a prank.”
Political outsider leans on familiar Georgia names
Though he’s never run for office, Dooley’s appeal stems more from his family legacy than his coaching résumé. He’s the son of Vince Dooley, the legendary University of Georgia football coach. He has deep personal ties to GOP Gov. Brian Kemp, who recently took himself out of the running for Senate. While Dooley hasn’t been politically active in recent years, his family has previously aligned with Trump, including a 2016 endorsement from his father and a joint appearance at a campaign rally.
Kemp and Dooley’s brother, Daniel, were college roommates, and the governor was a regular guest at the Dooley home growing up. Should Kemp publicly back him, Kemp’s support could instantly boost Dooley’s credibility in a crowded field.
A Georgia GOP operative, speaking anonymously, dismissed a potential Dooley bid as “one of the dumbest political moves” he’s seen in two decades.
“He’s a guy whose fame was being fired by Georgia’s biggest rival 14 years ago,” the operative said.
The person questioned the viability of a Dooley candidacy, citing a lack of political engagement and absence of a clear campaign message.
“He’s never been around. He hasn’t supported Georgia Republican candidates or causes and has not been politically engaged,” the operative said. “On its surface, I have no concept of what the narrative would be.”
Many Republicans are eager to avoid repeating the internal fractures and missteps that cost them both of Georgia’s Senate seats in the 2020 cycle. That year, GOP leaders backed Kelly Loeffler over Trump’s preferred pick, then-Rep. Doug Collins. She lost to Democrat Raphael Warnock in a runoff, while Jon Ossoff defeated David Perdue, giving Democrats control of the chamber.
Two years later, Trump’s handpicked candidate, Herschel Walker, also lost in a runoff despite Kemp belatedly stepping in to help. With Trump back in the White House and Republicans aiming to protect and expand their Senate majority, party strategists say they can’t afford another mistake.
“All a Dooley candidacy does, in my mind at this point, is make it more confusing,” said Jay Morgan, a veteran of Georgia GOP politics. “It doesn’t bring any clarity to how Republicans get this seat and thereby make it more likely we keep the Senate majority in January 2027.”
Despite Kemp’s support, Morgan argued that Dooley lacks the grassroots base and broad appeal needed to break through a crowded primary. Georgia’s runoff system adds another layer of complexity, making it a “Herculean effort” just to make it into the top two.
Unlike Herschel Walker, who entered with star power, Dooley starts from “ground zero.” After two bruising Senate losses, Morgan warned, Republicans shouldn’t take chances.
“If you were making this list a year ago, of the top ten people you would want to be the Senate nominee, Derek Dooley wouldn’t have been on the list,” Morgan said. “So, why now?”
He added that Dooley likely wouldn’t be in the mix if Brian Kemp weren’t governor and questioned, “How much of the governor’s political capital is he willing to loan him?”
Dooley’s outsider status raises GOP stakes
Dooley, 56, began his football career as a walk-on wide receiver at the University of Virginia, eventually earning a scholarship. He later received a law degree from the University of Georgia and briefly practiced law in Atlanta before turning to coaching. He went on to lead programs at Louisiana Tech and Tennessee, where he was fired in 2012 after three losing seasons, including a loss to rival Vanderbilt. Since then, he’s held assistant coaching roles with the Miami Dolphins, Dallas Cowboys, University of Missouri, New York Giants, and most recently served as an offensive analyst at the University of Alabama.
Should Dooley choose to enter the race, he wouldn’t be venturing into uncharted territory. In Alabama, former Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville parlayed his football career into a successful Senate bid in 2020 and is now pursuing the governorship. Ohio’s lieutenant governor, Jim Tressel, made his name at Ohio State. And in Nebraska, Tom Osborne served three terms in Congress after decades on the sidelines.
Now, as talk of a Senate run swirls, Dooley’s backers are framing him as the kind of outsider who could defy expectations, much like others who’ve shaken up Georgia politics before.
“It shouldn’t surprise anyone that political consultants and politicians hate the idea of an outsider shaking up the race for U.S. Senate and are already attacking someone who hasn’t even announced their candidacy,” said Cody Hall, a senior adviser to Gov. Kemp and an operative close to Dooley. “The problem for the establishment is that voters will have the final say, just like they did with Gov. Kemp and President Trump.”
Dooley’s team says he has held meetings with the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) and engaged with “many people and organizations” as he explores a potential Senate bid.
While some Georgia Republicans remain deeply skeptical, others are urging caution, pointing to Kemp’s long record of defying expectations.
A Capitol Hill Republican with ties to Georgia, granted anonymity to speak candidly, said the attention Dooley is receiving, even before announcing, suggests there may be more there than critics are willing to admit.
“It’s telling that the person so many are worried about hasn’t even announced yet,” the operative said, pointing to past conservative outsiders, including Kemp himself, who gained traction by hitting the trail and meeting voters face-to-face.
The operative added, “It would be a mistake for anybody looking at Georgia politics to not trust Gov. Kemp. His support would be incredibly beneficial and invaluable to anybody in a race like this.”
Others see Dooley’s emergence as a necessary spark in an otherwise sluggish contest.
“This race is absolutely, like, lethargic,” said Ryan Mahoney, a Georgia Republican strategist. “No one’s talking about it, no one’s excited about it.”
Mahoney noted that despite months on the trail and millions of dollars spent on ads, candidates such as Carter and King haven’t generated much excitement.
“When the [Dooley] trial balloon was floated … people had questions and thoughts and opinions, but no one was saying, ‘Nope, I’m on Team Carter. I’m on Team King.’ Everyone’s still on the sidelines, going, who are the candidates?”
He argued that concerns about Dooley’s outsider status are typical of political gatekeeping.
“Everyone loves being the outsider, until they’re the insider, and then they’re upset that outsiders want to come in and disrupt their game.”
GEORGIA REPUBLICANS BRACE FOR BRUISING SENATE PRIMARY WITH ‘PLAN B’ HOPEFULS
Still, the possibility of another high-profile misstep has some Republicans nervous, especially those thinking beyond the primary.
One Georgia State GOP lawmaker warned, “At the end of the day, we need a governing partner in Washington.” The lawmaker added, “We’ve seen what happens when we lose focus and nominate someone who can’t win a general election.”