With Brian Kemp officially out of the running, Georgia’s Republican Senate primary is set to become one of the bloodiest – and most extreme – contests in the country. The MAGA base is driving the agenda, and every likely contender is racing to prove their loyalty to the chaotic policies coming out of D.C. Kemp’s decision not to run is a major recruiting failure for the NRSC, which had considered him their top prospect. No matter who emerges from this messy slugfest, one thing is certain: they’ll be a disaster for Georgia.
Whether it’s slashing Social Security, gutting Medicaid, or parroting Trump’s most unhinged conspiracy theories, this group is out of touch with what Georgians want – and dangerously in line with Trump’s agenda of chaos in the White House. That’s not good news for them, as polling shows Trump remains unpopular in Georgia.
“Georgia’s Republican Senate primary just turned into a race to the bottom as candidates scramble for Donald Trump’s approval and publicly praise White House policies that are attacking Georgia families,” said American Bridge 21st Century spokesperson Nico Delgado. “Whoever the nominee is, they’ll be nothing more than a rubber stamp on Trump’s plan to dismantle Social Security and Medicare, raise prices for every single Georgian, and hurt Main Street businesses all across the state.”
Here’s a look at the chaos ahead – and the extreme candidates vying for control:
Marjorie Taylor Greene
Taylor Greene celebrated the pope’s death as “evil” being “defeated by the hand of God.” Greene has pushed fringe conspiracy theories – from questioning the 9/11 Pentagon attack and claiming Barack Obama is secretly Muslim, to suggesting JFK Jr. was assassinated by the Clintons. A staunch QAnon supporter, she has grossly labeled mass shootings as “false flags,” blamed wildfires on antisemitic “Jewish space lasers,” and claimed the U.S. government controls the weather. Surprising no one, her legislative record is among the weakest in Congress due to her prioritizing far-right theatrics over governance, and she engaged in shady stock trading after buying up to $315,000 in shares just before Trump’s tariff announcement. Despite her loyalty to Trump, she underperformed him in the 2024 election, signaling growing public fatigue with her extremism.
Rich McCormick
McCormick has pushed extreme anti-abortion legislation and argued that fifth graders should “earn” their school lunches at McDonald’s. Initially a DeSantis backer, he’s now firmly in Trump’s corner, demanding cuts to essential programs while doing the bidding of party leadership.
Buddy Carter
Carter has spent his time in Congress pushing pointless stunts like renaming Greenland “Red, White, and Blueland” and trying to sell a building named after Nancy Pelosi. He fumbled his shot at pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) reform, despite touting his background as a pharmacist. Carter’s all-in on the Trump-DOGE agenda and shows little concern for how his cuts would devastate his own constituents.
Mike Collins
Collins is a crypto hypeman known for promoting shady “shitcoins,” a rabid conspiracist, and a January 6th denier. He proposed withholding disaster aid and regularly embraces racist, xenophobic rhetoric – openly praising mass deportation and calling to end birthright citizenship.
Tyler Harper
Harper rode MAGA politics into statewide office, using his post as Georgia’s Agriculture Commissioner to inject himself into “cop-olitics.” He revived the agency’s law enforcement branch and has fought against climate initiatives at every turn. He’s Trump-obsessed and eager to climb the GOP ladder by appealing to conspiracy theorists.
John King
King has desperately tried to carve out a spot in MAGA world, backing Trump’s/DOGE’s agenda, celebrating mass deportation and denying the reality of January 6. His record is defined by loyalty to Trumpism – not actual solutions for Georgians.
Brad Raffensperger
Despite Trump trying to get him to do crimes in 2020, Raffensperger is still cozying up to Trump – jumping on the DOGE bandwagon and celebrating the dismantling of the Department of Education. He remains a vocal defender of Georgia’s restrictive election laws, including SB202, and wants to take voter ID nationwide.
Published: May 5, 2025