GOP gears up to challenge Georgia's Dem senator in state Trump won by 2%
'We should have a Republican in that seat, and I believe we'll have one after the '26 election,' Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp told Fox News Digital
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Republicans have identified Georgia’s U.S. Senate election in 2026 as an opportunity to widen their margin over Democrats in the U.S. Senate. After Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen's announcement that she will not seek re-election in New Hampshire, all eyes are on Georgia’s Senate race.
"Every battleground state — Georgia, Michigan, New Hampshire and Minnesota – is in play, and we play to win," Nick Puglia, National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) regional press secretary, said in a statement to Fox News Digital after Shaheen’s announcement Wednesday.
Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., the first-term senator who helped secure a Democratic majority in 2021, is one of the only Democratic senators up for re-election in a state President Donald Trump won in 2024. Trump won battleground Georgia by just over two percentage points in 2024.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Jon Ossoff is a Democrat with extreme and reckless policies," Puglia added. "Ossoff wants biological males to be allowed to compete in women’s sports, took a backseat after the tragic murder of Laken Riley and is too weak to stand up to pro-Hamas radicals in his party. Georgians deserve better."
Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., speaks at a campaign event for President Joe Biden at Pullman Yards March 9, 2024, in Atlanta. (Megan Varner/Getty Images)
Ossoff's office did not reply to Fox News Digital's request for comment by the deadline of this article.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, the popular term-limited Republican, is the GOP’s ideal candidate in 2026 as it challenges Ossoff and seeks to expand its 53-47 Senate majority.
While the governor has not announced a formal bid for the U.S. Senate in 2026, Kemp acknowledged in an interview with Fox News Digital last month, "We’ll have something to say on that down the road."
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"We need to flip that seat," Kemp said. "We should have a Republican in that seat, and I believe we'll have one after the '26 election."
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp stands for an interview with Fox News Digital, his first after being elected Republican Governors Association chair Nov, 20, 2024, on Marco Island, Fla, (Fox News/Paul Steinhauser)
Ossoff, 38, became the first millennial elected to the U.S. Senate in 2021, unseating former Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., in a runoff election.
During his fourth year in office, Ossoff highlighted "historic upgrades for Georgia’s infrastructure through the bipartisan infrastructure law," his commitment to supporting Georgia veterans, efforts to secure relief after Hurricane Helene, his public safety initiatives and work to expand healthcare across the state.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Ossoff has issued a series of press releases countering Trump’s executive actions since he returned to the White House in January. Ossoff has led efforts to unfreeze federal funding, raised concern over programs cut by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and rejected the Department of Veterans Affairs' plans to cut 80,000 jobs.
The Georgia senator voted against a bill last week that would have prevented biological males from participating in women’s and girls sports, telling The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in a statement, "This bill was overreach."
The New York Times reported last month that a bipartisan group of Jewish leaders in Atlanta asked Kemp to consider running for Ossoff’s senate seat. The letter came after Ossoff voted to block a weapons transfer to Israel and criticized Israel’s handling of the war in Gaza. Ossoff is Georgia’s first Jewish senator.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Ossoff was one of 12 Senate Democrats who voted to pass the Laken Riley Act, named for the 22-year-old nursing student who was murdered by an illegal immigrant while jogging at the University of Georgia last year. The Laken Riley Act imposes increased penalties for undocumented immigrants who commit crimes in the United States.
Prior to serving in the U.S. Senate, Ossoff narrowly lost his campaign to represent Georgia’s 6th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2017.
In addition to Georgia, the NRSC has identified New Hampshire, Michigan and Minnesota as key battleground states for the 2026 midterm elections.
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Shaheen’s announcement that she will not seek re-election in New Hampshire could further complicate the Democrats’ efforts to regain control of the U.S. Senate. However, it has been 15 years since Republicans last won a Senate election in New Hampshire.
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., speaks before President Joe Biden arrives to deliver remarks on lowering the cost of prescription drugs at NHTI Concord Community College Oct. 22, 2024, in Concord, N.H. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
"Another one! Shaheen's retirement is welcome news for Granite Staters eager for new leadership. New Hampshire has a proud tradition of electing commonsense Republicans and will do so again in 2026," Sen. Tim Scott, the NRSC chair, said in a statement to Fox News after her announcement.
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Republicans also have their eyes on Michigan, where Democratic Sen. Gary Peters announced he will not seek re-election next year. Trump won Michigan by just over a percentage point in 2024.
Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., also took her name out of the running for another term in the U.S. Senate. Trump lost Minnesota by over four points to former Vice President Kamala Harris and running mate Tim Walz, Minnesota's governor.