Brian Kemp\u2019s political strength was already going to be tested in Tuesday\u2019s Georgia runoffs. Then President Donald Trump made his move.<\/p>\n

Kemp had spent months throwing his full support and political network behind Derek Dooley, a political neophyte and former football coach, in a quest to unseat Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff \u2014 a seat Kemp himself passed on running for, to the disappointment of national Republicans who saw him as the best candidate to win.<\/p>\n

It was a major political gambit, and one that relies on the governor\u2019s popularity and ability to get Dooley over the finish line against a MAGA loyalist in Rep. Mike Collins and then against a strong Democratic incumbent. Early Sunday morning, Trump raised the stakes: He finally got off the sidelines and endorsed Collins<\/a>, turning the Senate runoff into something of a proxy war between two of the most influential figures in Georgia politics.<\/p>\n

Hours later, Kemp stepped into the other marquee contest in the state, endorsing Lt. Gov. Burt Jones<\/a> \u2014 the Trump-backed Republican \u2014 to succeed him in the governor\u2019s mansion.<\/p>\n

Now, thanks to the late slate of endorsements, the governor finds himself both at odds with an increasingly influential<\/a> president in the Senate race and aligned with him in the governor\u2019s race \u2014 teeing up a complicated trial of his influence.<\/p>\n

Tuesday\u2019s runoff will determine the viability of Kemp\u2019s brand of Republican politics, one willing to look beyond the conservative red meat of a MAGA Republican primary with an eye toward winning back independent and swing voters in the general election. Even when that means he\u2019s at odds with Trump\u2019s wishes.<\/p>\n

The governor\u2019s race is complicated further by billionaire Rick Jackson\u2019s flood of spending<\/a>, which quickly transformed him from a little-known candidate to one of the contest\u2019s two leading contenders.<\/p>\n

\u201cBoth [Jones and Dooley] face opponents with strong outside support or appeal, so the results will show how much pull Kemp still has in the Georgia GOP,\u201d said one Georgia Republican unaffiliated with either race granted anonymity to speak candidly. \u201cDemonstrating [his] pull will be key to any Kemp case for 2028, which would necessarily include proving he takes Georgia off the table for us as a battleground state.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a sign of his clout in the state, the candidates \u2014 with the exception of Collins \u2014 all featured the popular governor in campaign runoff ads, drawing him into the mix even before he officially endorsed.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything I\u2019m doing is to make sure we win in November. I\u2019ve been very clear about that,\u201d Kemp said at a Monday morning press conference<\/a> with Dooley. \u201cMaking sure that we have the right people at the top of the ticket who can win.\u201d<\/p>\n

Republicans wanted Kemp to run. Instead, he put his political capital behind Dooley.<\/h5>\n
Tuesday\u2019s runoffs come at a pivotal moment in which Kemp has largely sidestepped questions<\/a> about his future, but is seen both in Georgia and nationally as a potential 2028 presidential contender as the Republican Party makes its first steps into a post-Trump future. Kemp\u2019s approval rating hovers around 60 percent<\/a> \u2014 roughly 20 points higher than Trump\u2019s in a rapidly evolving battleground.<\/p>\n
Many Georgia Republicans had hoped that Kemp, a popular figure, would run for the Senate seat himself \u2014 a nod to his unique strength in a finicky state, where candidates have to win with a broad coalition of voters to succeed in statewide races like he did during his reelection in 2022.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf Kemp had jumped into this race, it would already be a seat that Republicans were counting as a flip,\u201d said Ryan Mahoney, a Georgia-based Republican strategist and former aide to Kemp.<\/p>\n
Instead, Republicans got a crowded field and a primary marked by bitter intraparty fighting<\/a> as Ossoff kept his powder dry and amassed a significant war chest<\/a> ahead of a competitive general election. The GOP\u2019s original bullishness on flipping the blue seat turned into frustration and a feeling that Ossoff was proving more and more difficult to vanquish<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Before Trump\u2019s last minute foray into the race, the Republican Senate contest had been marked by Kemp\u2019s hands-on presence for Dooley, who the governor has repeatedly touted as an electable political outsider who could build the big-tent coalition needed to win. Kemp appeared at dozens of campaign stops across the state and activated his deep network of donors for his longtime friend and hand-picked candidate.<\/p>\n
Dooley was still polling in a consistent third place for the majority of the primary \u2014 but Kemp continued to appear with him across the state, and Hardworking Americans Inc., a Kemp-aligned federal PAC, went on to spend $2 million on ads, including one featuring the governor giving a straight-to-camera pitch for Dooley. The candidate ended up finishing in a solid second place, besting Rep. Buddy Carter to make the runoff \u2014 a significant win for Kemp\u2019s political machine.<\/p>\n
And while Collins dominated in rural areas of the state, and Carter in his southwestern congressional district around Savannah, Dooley\u2019s base of support emerged from the all-important metro Atlanta area.<\/p>\n
\u201cDooley clearly had momentum, and that momentum showed up at the ballot box,\u201d Mahoney said. \u201cThat momentum was fueled by Brian Kemp, and, more specifically, Brian Kemp to camera pushing people to vote for Derek.\u201d<\/p>\n
But there are looming questions over Kemp\u2019s ability to pull Dooley across the finish line in the second round of voting.<\/p>\n
Collins had already secured support from several MAGA-aligned groups before Trump left his mark on the contest, including the powerful Club for Growth and Turning Point Action.<\/p>\n
Trump\u2019s endorsement put the final stamp on that dynamic of MAGA vs. Kemp, solidifying the House Republican as the carrier of the populist right\u2019s mantle in the race and putting the president in direct opposition to the governor.<\/p>\n
\u201cMike is a special guy, a special congressman, a special person, and so I’d like to have everybody go out and get out and vote for this man. We love Georgia,\u201d Trump said in a tele-rally<\/a> with Collins late on Monday afternoon from France ahead of his appearance at the G7. \u201cMike is so important.\u201d<\/p>\n
But Trump\u2019s late support for Collins comes with its own warning signs, harkening back to an embarrassing loss<\/a> from earlier this month, when Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-Iowa) came up short in his run for governor after winning the president\u2019s support just a handful of days prior.<\/p>\n
Early voting had already closed by the time Trump endorsed Collins on Sunday, creating a narrow window for him to capitalize on the president\u2019s coveted backing.<\/p>\n

Trump and Kemp align in governor\u2019s race \u2014 against an influx of cash<\/h5>\n
While the Senate contest pits the president against Kemp, the two will also be tested in the vastly different race for governor.<\/p>\n
That contest will show whether the two leaders\u2019 combined influence can outmatch the power of over $100 million in spending from Jackson, whose deluge of cash has upended the contest since his splashy entrance in February.<\/p>\n
Kemp had loomed large over the contest, as both candidates tried to tie themselves to the popular governor. Shortly after the May primary, Jackson aired an ad<\/a> that appeared to imply he had won the governor\u2019s support. That ad backfired, contributing to Kemp\u2019s decision on Sunday to back Jones, according to a person familiar with the governor\u2019s thinking and granted anonymity to speak candidly about the endorsement.<\/p>\n
A spokesperson for Kemp referred Blue Light News to the governor\u2019s press conference with Jones, during which he said lieutenant governor was the only pick \u201cto make sure that Georgia remains the best place to live, work, and raise a family.\u201d Jones had \u201cbeen a trusted ally in that effort, being there every step of the way,\u201d Kemp said.<\/p>\n
Kemp\u2019s decision to weigh in on the race came together in fairly quick succession. The lieutenant governor\u2019s team was told around lunchtime on Sunday that Kemp was preparing to endorse Jones, according to a person familiar with the conversation between the two camps, granted anonymity to discuss campaign matters. Kemp\u2019s backing was made public later that afternoon in a lengthy statement<\/a> posted to social media.<\/p>\n
Jones had already secured the president\u2019s support almost as soon as he got into the race and has long touted his close relationship with the president. But it was Kemp\u2019s backing that he said could cement his runoff win and propel him into the general election.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t say enough about how appreciative [Georgia Second Lady Jan Jones] and I are for this endorsement from the governor and the first lady. We think that this is exactly what\u2019s going to put us over the top,\u201d Jones said in a press conference<\/a> Monday alongside the governor.<\/p>\n
The candidate also released an ad<\/a> on Monday featuring the governor and first lady Marty Kemp praising him as a \u201cstrong ally\u201d and highlighting their partnership over the last several years.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe real endorsement is tomorrow. It\u2019s with the people of this state. And they\u2019re going to decide who they want at the top of the ticket,\u201d Kemp said at his morning appearance with Dooley.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Brian Kemp\u2019s political strength was already going to be tested in Tuesday\u2019s Georgia runoffs. Then President Donald Trump made his move. Kemp had spent months throwing his full support and political network behind Derek Dooley, a political neophyte and former football coach, in a quest to unseat Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff \u2014 a seat Kemp […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24370","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24370","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24370"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24370\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24370"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24370"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24370"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}