Intrigue swirls around Georgia's U.S. Senate race

With one major candidate dropping out, another possibly entering and talk of the son of a Georgia football legend possibly entering the race, the Republican primary for Georgia's U.S. Senate race is continuing to dominate Peach State politics.

Republicans are hoping to unseat U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff after the Democrat defeated incumbent David Perdue in a run-off in 2020. But so far, no one candidate has emerged as a front-runner.

Speculation has swirled for weeks that Derek Dooley, a former head football coach at the University of Tennessee and son of the late Vince Dooley, is considering a run. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has told the other candidates he is backing Dooley, who is also a personal friend.

Those other candidates include U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, who was the first out of the gate to announce his candidacy after Kemp said he would not run. He was soon joined by Insurance Commissioner John King, who said Thursday he is dropping out of the race and will be a candidate for his current office.

"I got into the U.S. Senate race to beat Jon Ossoff, not distract from the mission," King said on social media. "Right now it’s clear there’s little path forward to the nomination, so today I’m suspending my campaign."

Kemp's reported endorsement of Dooley has not deterred U.S. Rep. Mike Collins from getting in the race. Fox News reported Friday that Collins will announce sometime next week.

Ossoff has a large war chest to fend off any challengers – nearly $16 million, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission. He has received more money than any other Senate candidate since 2021. Of the almost $42 million in receipts, just over $38.8 million is from contributions, according to the commission.

Carter has just $4 million on hand, according to filings. He has received $1.4 million in contributions.

King managed to raise over $518,000, according to the election commission.

The date for the 2026 primary elections has not been set.