Georgia’s 2026 Showdown: Kemp, Trump, and the Fight for the GOP Ticket

Exploring Georgia’s political buildup to the 2026 midterms. With a ballooning state budget and its 11-year streak as the top business state, Georgia anticipates major deals post-legislative session. The U.S. Senate race headlines the GOP’s push to turn Jon Ossoff’s seat red, with speculation centering on Governor Brian Kemp’s potential run—bolstered by hints of a Trump endorsement. Kemp’s tort reform and media blitz suggest he’s positioning to lead the ticket, though his past razor-thin win over Stacey Abrams (0.2%) underscores the stakes. Alternatives like Mike Collins, who authored the Trump-signed Laken Riley Act, or Marjorie Taylor Greene (MTG), eyeing the Senate or governor seat, could shake things up—MTG might even challenge Lt. Gov. Burt Jones. Democrats, led by Atlanta’s mayor, loom as a gubernatorial threat. The AJC is poised to exploit any GOP misstep, and without a strong top candidate, the podcast warns Democrats could flip key offices, making Kemp’s next move pivotal.

Everything is getting ready to come together in GA for 2026. There have been enormous increased in the GA state budget and for the past 11 years GA has been the #1 state to do business. We are getting ready to have a lot of deals unfold immediately. Once the legislative session ends.
The top of the ticket will be the US Senate seat. There will be a battle over that seat. They want that seat to go red. They need someone that can carry the ticket. There is a lot of talk that Kemp will not run. But if you notice there is a lot of this happening, all eyes on GA as Brian Kemp considers whether to take on Jon Ossoff in Senate elections. Many of the pictures look as if Trump and Kemp have made a deal? Will Kemp run for senate and Trump endorse him? When Mike Collins ran for the 10th district he did not get the Trump endorsement and supported Trump and showed the people how and who a Trump supporter is. To top it off Mike Collins sponsors the Laken Riley Act that Trump signs as his first bill. Will Mike Collins run for Senate? Or will MTG run for Senate? Or will she run for Governor and pull the carpet out from under Burt Jones? There is a lot going on here. But could Kemp box everyone out of the way? What kind of deals have Brian Kemp made in GA, as governor of the state he holds the control in the next political moves. If you don’t have the right candidate at the top of the ticket, the democrats are able to flip a constitutional office.
Kemp is doing interviews everywhere right now. His tort reform bill is packing a lot of money in. Is he running for Senate to pull the entire ticket? Democrats have the mayor of Atlanta, ready to go and could be the next governor of Georgia. The last time there was a true primary, Brian Kemp only beat Stacey Abrams by 2 tenths of a percent. Could republicans have the one candidate that could hurt the entire ticket? The AJC is waiting to have that one person to pull the republican ticket to get a democrat in. The AJC will do all they can to make a real struggle for republicans up and down the ballot.