Georgia Rep. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter on Thursday became the first high-profile Republican to announce a challenge to vulnerable Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff, formally kicking off what is anticipated to be a highly competitive and expensive race for the seat in 2026.
A campaign launch video tied Carter’s candidacy to his support for President Donald Trump, describing the congressman as a “MAGA Warrior.”
“Trump has a warrior in Buddy Carter,” the ad narrator says. “Buddy helped Trump secure our border and put America first.”
Carter’s announcement comes days after Georgia’s popular Republican governor, Brian Kemp, said he would not challenge Ossoff, dashing the hopes of many in the GOP who had viewed him as a top recruit.
A crowded Republican primary is still likely, however. Potential candidates include Reps. Rich McCormick and Mike Collins, as well as Georgia Insurance Commissioner John King and state Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is weighing a bid for either Senate or governor.
Ossoff is a top GOP target this cycle in a state that Trump narrowly carried last fall. He topped CQ Roll Call’s latest list of the most vulnerable senators of 2026, while Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales rates the race a Battleground.
Ossoff entered the Senate in 2021 after unseating Republican incumbent David Perdue in a runoff, a result that gave Democrats control of the chamber. Now, a year and a half out from the midterm elections, he’s already begun stockpiling a formidable campaign war chest and raised a staggering $11.2 million in the first three months of this year.
Carter, a pharmacist and former state legislator, was first elected to represent Georgia’s 1st District in 2014, succeeding Republican Jack Kingston. He easily won a sixth term to his Savannah-anchored district last fall by 24 points, and Republicans will be heavily favored to keep the seat in party hands next year. Trump carried the district by 16 points in 2024, according to calculations by elections analyst Drew Savicki.
It’s not the first time Carter has eyed a Senate run. He reportedly considered a bid against Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock in 2022 but backed off after Trump endorsed former NFL star Herschel Walker.
A member of the House Budget and Energy and Commerce Committees, Carter has centered much of his legislative focus in Washington on health care policy, and has authored legislation that would set limits on the prices pharmacy benefit managers can charge pharmacies. He has also called upon Congress to take direct action to address the opioid crisis.
A member of the Republican Main Street Caucus, Carter has emerged as an ally of Trump. In February, he introduced a bill that would authorize the president to begin negotiations on the U.S. acquiring Greenland and would rename the autonomous Danish territory “Red, White, and Blueland.”
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