With his time as Georgia governor coming to an end, Brian Kemp has asked voters in the state for one last thing: Send Derek Dooley to the U.S. Senate. The two-term Republican made the appeal in a new television advertisement from his political action committee that began airing this week, part of a significant push ahead of Tuesday's GOP Senate primary.
The race features three Republican candidates competing to face Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff, who has already stockpiled $32 million for the general election. None of the Republicans is expected to secure a majority on Tuesday, setting up a June 16 runoff between the top two vote-getters.
What the Left Is Saying
Democrats see an opportunity in the fractured Republican primary field. Ossoff won his seat in January 2021 and has maintained strong fundraising numbers throughout his term. Republicans view him as a top target as they work to defend their Senate majority this cycle.
Progressive analysts note that Dooley, a former college football coach at the University of Tennessee with no prior political experience, represents an untested candidate entering a competitive general election landscape. Democratic strategists have pointed to Ossoff's $32 million war chest as a significant advantage in a state that has shifted toward Democrats in recent federal elections.
The race comes amid broader concerns among some Republicans about the party's positioning heading into November, particularly given fluctuating approval ratings and economic headwinds cited by party strategists.
What the Right Is Saying
Kemp has positioned himself as the central power broker of the primary, with his PAC Hardworking Americans Inc. spending more than $3 million on pro-Dooley text messages and advertisements. The governor has appeared alongside Dooley throughout the state, including at a recent campaign event in Habersham where Kemp argued Dooley's outsider status would be an asset against Ossoff.
"I have a very strong belief it's going to take a political outsider to beat Jon Ossoff in this race," Kemp said at that event.
Dooley himself has emphasized his relationship with the governor as crucial to his campaign. "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."
Republican strategists supportive of Kemp's approach argue that breaking the party's Senate losing streak in Georgia requires nominating someone who can appeal beyond Trump's base. The governor defeated Trump-backed David Perdue by 52 points in the 2022 primary after refusing to embrace false claims about the 2020 election.
"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 noted he had "never seen a governor put so much of his personal capital on the line" in 30 years of working in Georgia politics.
What the Numbers Show
The primary features three candidates: Dooley, a political novice and former football coach; Reps. Mike Collins and Buddy Carter, both sitting House members who have emphasized their alignment with President Donald Trump.
Kemp's approval rating among likely GOP primary voters stands at 85%, with 55% strongly approving his job performance, according to an Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll.
Campaign finance reports show Kemp's PAC has spent more than $3 million supporting Dooley through text messages and advertisements. Ossoff enters the general election cycle with approximately $32 million in campaign funds.
Collins faces an ongoing ethics investigation into allegations that he misused congressional funds, which he has dismissed as "bogus."
The primary is unlikely to produce a majority winner Tuesday given the three-way split, making a June 16 runoff virtually certain. The eventual nominee will face weeks of continued primary spending before pivoting to the general election against Ossoff.
The Bottom Line
Kemp's full-throated endorsement represents an unusual level of personal investment for an outgoing governor in another politician's race. Whether that bet pays off could shape not only Georgia's Senate contest but also Kemp's own political future, with some Republicans suggesting his 2028 presidential prospects may depend partly on Dooley's performance.
Trump has so far remained on the sidelines, though all three candidates are seeking his endorsement. If Trump decides to back Collins or Carter in a potential runoff, it would test whether Kemp's influence with Republican voters can withstand direct competition from the former and current president.
The outcome will determine which candidate faces Ossoff in November in what Republicans acknowledge is one of their most difficult Senate pickup opportunities this cycle.