Georgia Senate race tests Gov. Brian Kemp’s sway in the Republican Party
With his time in the governor’s office coming to an end, Brian Kemp has asked Georgia voters for “one last thing.”
“Send Derek Dooley to the U.S. Senate,” the two-term Republican implored viewers in a new TV ad from his PAC that hit the airwaves this week, yet another sign that Kemp is putting all of his chips behind his preferred candidate ahead of Tuesday’s GOP Senate primary.
The question for Kemp is whether Dooley, a former college football coach and political novice, is a risky bet — or one that emphasizes his sway in one of the nation’s most tightly divided swing states, and perhaps beyond.
“If Dooley’s able to pull it off, it shows that Kemp is ready to put his own imprint on not just the Georgia Republican Party, but the national Republican Party,” said Jay Morgan, a former Georgia GOP executive director.
Morgan said he has “never seen a governor put so much of his personal capital on the line” in his 30 years of working in Georgia politics. But in doing so, Kemp is exposing himself to criticism and second-guessing as the GOP tries to break a Senate losing streak in a state it dominated for years.
“This one, the governor completely owns it,” Morgan said.
Dooley has been battling with GOP Reps. Mike Collins and Buddy Carter in the primary to take on Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff, and none of the Republicans is expected to win a majority of the primary vote Tuesday. That would push the race to a June 16 runoff between the top two vote-getters.
Collins and Carter have been casting themselves as staunch allies of President Donald Trump. While Dooley has also stressed that he supports Trump, he’s pitched himself as a political outsider, arguing Carter and Collins have records that could be used against them in November. Collins is also facing an ongoing ethics investigation into whether he misused congressional funds, allegations that Collins has dismissed as “bogus.”
“I have a very strong belief it’s going to take a political outsider to beat Jon Ossoff in this race,” Kemp said at a recent campaign event with Dooley in Habersham.
Kemp has been behind Dooley since he decided not to run for Senate himself. The two-term governor is the biggest power broker to endorse in the primary, with Trump staying on the sidelines so far.
All in for Dooley Kemp is close personally with the well-known Dooley family. Dooley’s father, Vince, was a legendary football coach at the University of Georgia, while Derek Dooley served as the head coach at the University of Tennessee.
Dooley’s performance in this primary — and potentially in November — could be an early stress test for Kemp’s political operation and influence over GOP voters as he weighs his next steps, with term limits barring Kemp from another run for governor.
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“If he can’t get a candidate across the line in his own state, I think it’s going to be very difficult for him to go to Iowa and get people to fund that proof of concept,” said the strategist, who is not involved in the Senate race.
Kemp, for his part, said in a recent Politico interview that he is “focused on 2026,” and he refused to engage with questions about a potential presidential run. A Kemp adviser told NBC News that Kemp is “1,000%” focused on 2026 and is “not thinking about legacy at this point in time.”
Kemp and his wife, Marty, have been consistent companions on the campaign trail with Dooley, joining him for each leg of his statewide tour, including the final stretch that kicked off on Wednesday. Kemp has also helped Dooley behind the scenes, making calls to donors to build support for him, according to a Kemp adviser.
Dooley described the governor as a “great mentor.”
“When you’re a political outsider and you have no history in politics, the one thing that I’ve learned is either you gotta have somebody supporting you that has a little political history to help you get off the ground, or you gotta have a lot of money, right?” Dooley said in a phone interview. “It’s one or the other, and I don’t have a lot of money.”
Dooley said Kemp connected him with supporters, noting, “That was a big boost for me early, to get in front of people who have influence, allowed me to get a meeting and allowed me to go sell myself. And he has stuck with me ever since.”
Dooley noted that he still had to make his own case.
“I have to go sell myself and my vision and how I’m going to represent the state, because Gov. Kemp’s not on the ballot,” Dooley said.
Kemp’s PAC, Hardworking Americans Inc., has also pitched in, spending more than $3 million on pro-Dooley text messages and ads, according to campaign finance reports. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Kemp’s decision to back Dooley also winnowed the primary field, prompting one candidate to end his campaign.
“People have asked us, why are you so engaged in this race? Why are you not only endorsing Derek Dooley, but why are you out there working hard for him?” Kemp told the crowd at the cafe in Habersham.
“It’s really one reason. That’s because I want to win our Senate seat back,” Kemp said.
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