ATLANTA — U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock was one half of a shocking Democratic sweep during Georgia’s epic Jan. 5 runoffs. Now he’s preparing for a brutal reelection campaign for a full six-year term.
While fellow Democrat Jon Ossoff won’t face the voters again until 2026, Warnock must run again next year to keep his seat in the U.S. Senate. That’s because his victory over GOP incumbent Kelly Loeffler was to fill the remainder of retired Republican Johnny Isakson’s term.
Warnock, the pastor of Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church, will be a formidable candidate. He’s got sky-high name recognition, the power of incumbency, a robust political network and a hefty fundraising list after his victory made him the first Black U.S. senator in Georgia history.
But Republicans are already jockeying for the chance to reclaim the seat. And the decision by former U.S. Sen. David Perdue to forgo a campaign cleared the way for other GOP contenders to run for the seat.
Warnock doesn’t mince words: “I am prepared to defeat whatever Republican they come up with.”
Here’s our evolving list:
Former U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler
The former financial executive was tapped by Gov. Brian Kemp to fill Isakson’s seat in hopes of winning back women and more moderate voters who were disgusted by former President Donald Trump.
Instead, Loeffler’s short stint in the Senate turned into a race to the party’s right, as she dueled with then-U.S. Rep. Doug Collins for the hearts of conservatives and pumped more than $31 million of her own money into her campaign.
Defeated by Warnock, she spent the next few weeks quietly devising a new project, called Greater Georgia, to energize conservatives, build a new grassroots infrastructure and promote GOP elections proposals that critics say are overly restrictive.
She’s said she’s weighing a comeback bid but that “I don’t know if any Republican can win if we don’t shore up what we’re doing around voter registration, engagement and election integrity.”
Former U.S. Rep. Doug Collins
A four-term Republican congressman from the conservative bastion of Gainesville, Collins aggressively pitched himself for the open U.S. Senate seat – and was spurned by Kemp despite Trump’s initial support.
He and his allies pilloried Loeffler as a squishy moderate long before he entered the Senate race, and the two exchanged vicious barbs throughout the 2020 campaign.
After a third-place finish, Collins campaigned for Loeffler in the runoffs and also led Trump’s recount efforts in Georgia, appearing at a “Stop the Steal” rally days after the election.
He’s told the AJC he’s considering a run for Senate or a primary challenge to Kemp, an idea endorsed by Trump at his runoff rally in Georgia. In the meantime, Collins has joined a new law practice and will host a radio show.
Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan
Once a back-bencher in the Georgia House, the former professional baseball player won a surprising runoff victory in 2018 over David Shafer and then raced to a general election win.
In Georgia’s No. 2 job, he’s allied himself tightly to Kemp and was one of the most prominent early supporters of Loeffler even as he’s butted heads with fellow Republicans in the fractious Georgia Senate he presides over.
He earned national attention — and Trump’s fury — during the runoffs as he appeared frequently on cable news to counter false claims of widespread voter fraud and urge Republicans to stand up to Trump’s attempts to overturn the election.
Now, he often talks of a “GOP 2.0” that tilts further away from Trump and toward big-tent conservativism. He told the AJC he wouldn’t decide his next step until after the legislative session, and his options include running for Senate, running for another term or packing it in.
Attorney General Chris Carr
A former economic development commissioner, Carr was appointed by Gov. Nathan Deal to the open seat and then defeated Democrat Charlie Bailey in a nail-biter to win a full four-year term.
Carr was a former top aide to U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson and has tried to embrace his mantra as a mainstream conservative and consensus builder.
Should he decide to run — and we’re told he hasn’t ruled it out — he would likely rely on the same political network that he helped Isakson build over decades in public office.
Herschel Walker
Georgia Republicans have been buzzing with the rumor that the Georgia football legend — and friend of Trump — could challenge Warnock next year.
We’ve heard the talk for days, mostly from the pundit class and others trying to egg him on. And our attempts to reach Walker have so far gone unanswered.
Walker emerged as a voice for far-right conservative causes during Trump’s term in the White House and spoke up for the president at last year’s Republican National Convention.
He’s also been a key backer of Loeffler — he cut an ad for her last year — and Kemp. And he has iconic status across much of Bulldog Nation.
Many skeptical Republicans point to the last rumored Georgia legend to run for office — an aborted attempt to convince former coach Mark Richt to campaign.
Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black
The popular agriculture commissioner has built a base of support in rural Georgia over three terms in office — and 40 years in the farm business — that would come in handy during a Republican primary.
He’s championed a “Georgia Grown” initiative since he took office in 2011 and has backed conservative causes in the Legislature and on the campaign trail. But he has far lower visibility in vote-rich areas like metro Atlanta.
Black was one of the first GOP officials to endorse Collins’ Senate bid last year, and they remain close, so he’s not expected to run if his old friend throws his hat in the ring.
Former Ambassador Randy Evans
Fresh off a stint as Trump’s ambassador to Luxembourg, Evans is back in Georgia and, according to some of his allies, pondering a potential political campaign.
A longtime power player in Republican politics, Evans built his reputation as a high-powered lawyer to former House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s attorney and, later, to Govs. Sonny Perdue and Nathan Deal.
Like others, his candidacy would hinge on support — implicit or otherwise — from Trump to elevate his profile.
Kelvin King
The owner of a metro Atlanta construction company, King has become a major figure in state Republican politics and is one of Trump’s most prominent Black supporters in Georgia.
His wife, Janelle King, is also a well-known conservative activist who recently joined the weekly "Georgia Gang" show. Together, the two run Speak Georgia, a political outreach group.
An Air Force veteran, King would likely try to tap into David Perdue’s “outsider” mold as a business executive should he run.
Chief Justice Harold Melton
Almost as soon as Melton announced he would step down from the state Supreme Court bench, texts ping-ponged across the statehouse speculating whether the longtime judge was leaving his seat on the bench for a bid for Senate.
Though Melton made clear in interviews he was eager to help put his three kids through college — code for joining the private sector — he briefly considered applying for the open Senate seat in 2019.
A former lawyer for the state Attorney General’s office, Melton was serving as Perdue’s executive counsel when the Republican tapped him in 2005 for an open seat to join the state’s highest court.
Though supporters have floated Melton’s name, seeing him as a formidable candidate who can help expand the GOP’s base, he’s not likely to run. A close ally said he’s had no serious conversations about campaigning for the seat.
