Special to The Times
U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Pooler, St. Simons Island) announced last week he will challenge Freshman Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff in the 2026 general election.
Carter is the first Republican to enter the race, after Governor Brian Kemp and U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene both announced last week they would not run for the seat. State Insurance Commissioner John King announced his candidacy Monday.
Carter, 67, has represented the first district in the U.S. House of Representatives, which includes Pierce County, since 2014.
Prior to that, he served in the Georgia House and Senate and served as mayor of Pooler, a suburb of Savannah. He is a pharmacist by profession. He and his wife, the former Amy Coppage of Waycross, have three sons.
At least four other Georgia Republicans have said they’re considering a run for Senate including fellow U.S. Representatives Mike Collins and Rich McCormick, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and State Sen. Greg Dolezal.
No serious Democratic challengers have emerged to Ossoff, who launched his re-election campaign in March.
Ossoff defeated incumbent Republican U.S. Senator David Perdue in a run-off in 2020 by about 55,000 votes out of 4.5 million cast.
