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The GOP's Biggest Opponent In 2026 -- Itself

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Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
Dan SallyDan Sally
Published: 13 May, 2025
1 min read

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp has announced he won’t run for Senate in 2026 - a surprising move given his strong statewide appeal and proven ability to win over independents.

Kemp, one of the few Republicans with crossover credibility, would have been the GOP’s best shot at unseating Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff. But his history of defying Donald Trump and refusing to indulge election denialism would have guaranteed a bruising primary against the party’s MAGA wing.

In this episode, we unpack how Kemp’s decision reflects a deeper problem: the GOP’s biggest opponent in 2026 might not be the Democrats, but a primary system that seems to favor an increasingly extreme breed of Republican.

NOTE: After the time of recording this episode, Marjorie Taylor Greene announced she would not be entering the race, either. While this changes the immediate primary landscape, the broader questions we raise about candidate quality, primary dynamics, and the GOP’s structural challenges in 2026 remain just as relevant.

In this article
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