FORSYTH, Ga. — For the first time, Gov. Brian Kemp is speaking about his decision not to run for the U.S. Senate against Democratic incumbent Jon Ossoff.
Kemp told Channel 2’s Richard Elliot that he wants to finish his term as governor, but he promises to work with everyone, including President Donald Trump, to get Republicans elected.
After signing a series of public safety bills in Forsyth, Georgia, on Thursday, he said candidly he believes he can make a bigger difference being governor than being a U.S. Senator.
“I’ve got the best job in politics, and a lot of the times you can get more done in a year and a half being governor than you can in two terms in the U.S. Senate,” Kemp said. “But it’s just an honor being governor of the great state like Georgia.”
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Kemp told Elliot that he had alerted Trump and promised to work with him to try to get a Republican elected to the Senate.
“I talked to the president, had a good conversation with President Trump about my decision, and I’m going to continue to talk to him about the races in Georgia. I think it’s possible to line up on things that’s hard to do some things in primaries,” Kemp said.
Kemp said he won’t endorse any potential Republican candidate until after the primaries, but he promises to remain active behind the scenes.
He said he spoke with UGA coach Kirby Smart on Wednesday and explained to him why he thinks running for Senate right now is a bad idea.
“This would be like him leaving Georgia to coach at Florida. That’s what it would be like for me leaving the governor’s office to campaign the next year and a half for a job like U.S. Senate,” Kemp said.
Kemp wouldn’t rule out running for something in the future, saying that once he leaves office, he’ll “see what happens.”
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