Republican Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene announced Friday evening that she will not challenge incumbent Democratic Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff in the 2026 midterms, while insisting she would have won both the GOP primary and the general election.
Greene, a close ally of President Donald Trump, posted a lengthy statement on X explaining why she opted out of the Senate race after previous reports indicated she was considering launching a bid. The lawmaker cited party “elites” who she claimed were standing in the way of Trump’s agenda and conspiring to “carefully select” a more establishment-friendly GOP candidate as her main reason for passing on the contest.
“Now, they’re trying to carefully select someone who can dress up in MAGA just enough to trick the grassroots into thinking they’re one of us — someone who won’t dare challenge the Republican establishment or disrupt the status quo that has failed the people time and time again,” Greene wrote on X. “These are the Republicans who see Trump as a speed bump, one they believe they can carefully roll over now that he won’t be on the ballot again.”
“Even with a few good Republicans in the Senate, nothing changes,” Greene continued. “So no, [Democratic Georgia Sen.] Jon Ossoff isn’t the real problem. He’s just a vote. A pawn. No different than the Uniparty Republicans who skip key votes to attend fundraisers and let our agenda fail. Someone once said, ‘The Senate is where good ideas go to die.’ They were right. That’s why I’m not running. I won’t fight for a team that refuses to win, that protects its weakest players, and that undermines the very people it’s supposed to serve.”
Though Greene was publicly supportive of Kemp jumping into the Senate race, the term-limited governor announced on May 5 that he would not run.
Greene believed that she would trounce potential GOP opponents in a contested primary given her statewide name recognition, the Daily Caller News Foundation previously reported, citing multiple sources familiar with the matter. The congresswoman had boasted that she had a clear path to the nomination following Kemp’s decision to not jump into the race.
“The polling shows I can win the governor’s primary or I can win the Senate primary,” Greene told NewsNation’s “The Hill” on Tuesday. “That’s a choice that I can make, and I’ll give it some thought.”
Greene’s decision to pass on a run is likely a sigh of relief to Republican operatives who fretted about her chances of winning a general election against Ossoff, who is widely viewed as the most vulnerable Senate Democrat running for reelection in 2026.
The one-term Democratic incumbent led Greene by 17 points in a hypothetical matchup, according to an Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll released in May.
Ossoff’s campaign frequently sent fundraising emails to supporters warning about Greene jumping into the race.
“[W]ith MTG now one step closer to the Senate, the stakes couldn’t be clearer,” an Ossoff campaign email published Wednesday said. “Donate $10 or more to help stop Marjorie Taylor Greene.”
Amid Greene removing herself from contention, up to a dozen Republican candidates are eyeing potential bids, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
Republican Georgia Rep. Buddy Carter announced his candidacy Thursday, declaring himself a “MAGA warrior.”
Republican Georgia Rep. Mike Collins is viewed as the early favorite who could garner support from both base voters and independents, according to Axios’ reporting.
“Start trying to raise money off one of these other generic Republicans, though I expect your donations will drop,” Greene said at the end of her statement. “Good luck.”
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