By John A. Tures, Professor of Political Science, LaGrange College

Popular Georgia GOP Governor Brian Kemp took a pass on facing freshman Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff.

Pundits are already penciling in Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene as the odds-on favorite to oppose Senator Ossoff. But they had better use a pencil.

There are other candidates not only likely to enter the race, but who could defeat Greene in the primary, and challenge the first-term Democratic Party Senator in the Fall of 2026.

On paper, Kemp would be perfect, a successful two-term governor who crafted a legislative agenda that played well in the Peach State, now a swing state. His demeanor was far more professional than what you see from firebrands in the state and in the nation’s capital.

And yet Trump’s attacks over the 2020 election would have had him fighting a two-front war, against Democrats and the White House. His “prize” would have been even more national fights as he would likely occupy the kind of swing vote and moderate voice that Senator Johnny Isakson once occupied, to the likely anger of the President who wants “total loyalty.”

Even with all of his advantages Kemp was only tied with Senator Ossoff in an AJC poll, an indication of the challenges a 2026 Republican would face riding the wild coattails Trump provides with his approach to the U.S. Constitution, tariffs, DOGE and Elon Musk, and other unpopular policies. It also demonstrates that Ossoff will not be the easy out Republicans thought he would be when I chatted with them during Kemp’s 2023 inauguration for a second term.

Instead, it is the Democratic Party who is eagerly looking forward to the 2026 U.S. Senate race now.

“Democrats are salivating over the possibility that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) could mount the bid she was already flirting with before Kemp announced his plans,” writes Politico’s Adam Wren, Rachael Bade and Lisa Kashinsky.

“But GOP senators continued on Tuesday to downplay concerns that the MAGA firebrand could tank their chances. ‘I’m encouraged by the fact there’s a lot of interest,’ Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Tuesday in response to a question about whether the GOP could flip the seat if Greene is the nominee. ‘I expect Georgia will be a competitive race. We’ll be close to the end. But I think it’s a race that we can win.’”

Rep. Greene, for her part, has been airing a series of seemingly contradictory pre-Festivus grievances, according to Alex Nitzberg with Fox News, which includes fawning over President Donald Trump while also criticizing policies that Trump does seem to be fully backing.

“In her post on X, Greene noted, ‘I campaigned for no more foreign wars. And now we are supposedly on the verge of going to war with Iran. I don’t think we should be bombing foreign countries on behalf of other foreign countries especially when they have their own nuclear weapons and massive military strength.” Fox adds, “She has expressed staunch opposition to the minerals deal the Trump administration struck with Ukraine last week.”

Other Georgia candidates are lining up to look at the race against Senator Ossoff. These include Congressman Buddy Carter and Representative Mike Collins, two of the biggest names. Carter resembles a more traditional Republican, while Collins is more like Greene in headlining quotes, without some of the MTG baggage she brings. There is a chance Rep. Rich McCormick considers the contest.

You’ll see Reagan Box, Chrisoph “La’Flare” Champman and Rick Temple in the race as Republicans, but there is a chance that a statewide elected official could fill the Governor Brian Kemp void, like State Insurance Commissioner John King, Agricultural Commissioner Tyler Harper, and maybe even Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.

As many as ten Republicans may beat up on each other. The bruised nominee, much like Senator Kelly Loeffler in her tangle with Rep. Doug Collins, may be too politically damaged to take on a Democratic candidate who does not face much in-fighting on the road to the Fall of 2026.

John A. Tures is a professor of political science at LaGrange College in LaGrange, Georgia. His views are his own. He can be reached at jtures@lagrange.edu. His “X” account is JohnTures2.