Donald Trump might not have\u00a0been in attendance\u00a0at the Atlanta Press Club Republican primary debate for U.S. Senate last month, but his presence filled the room.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI am running for the United States Senate so that I can go to the Senate and be a warrior for Donald Trump and his \u2018America First\u2019 policies,\u201d said\u00a0U.S.\u00a0Rep. Buddy Carter\u00a0in\u00a0his opening statement.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When Carter\u2019s House colleague and opponent in the Senate\u00a0primary,\u00a0U.S.\u00a0Rep. Mike Collins, was asked about the direction in which the Republican Party should go once\u00a0President Trump is no longer in office, Collins\u00a0told the moderator \u201cwe need to continue Donald\u00a0Trump’s \u2018America First\u2019 agenda,\u201d\u00a0adding,\u00a0\u201cit’s one of the reasons that I ran.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"advisor\"](\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/97a45b12-573e-4976-9306-8cd1beb714d5\/donald-trump-1-ap-gmh-260518_1779118823241_hpMain_4x3.jpg?w=375 "\\"advisor\\"")
<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media on the South Lawn of the White House after arriving on Marine One in Washington, May 15, 2026.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Jacquelyn Martin\/AP Photo<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n In a midterm cycle where Trump\u2019s endorsement power has taken down incumbents<\/a>, plucked\u00a0winners out of crowded special elections<\/a>, and fueled intra-party spending wars<\/a>,\u00a0the president has not yet backed a candidate in the Republican primary for\u00a0U.S. Senate in Georgia.\u00a0<\/p>\n The absence of a Trump\u00a0endorsement in the\u00a0race\u00a0has led both Carter and Collins\u00a0to focus their campaigns around\u00a0winning\u00a0over Trump\u2019s base \u2013 and maybe even\u00a0Trump himself \u2013 as they both vie for the president\u2019s backing\u00a0in what is expected to be one of the most competitive states on the map this year, one that could decide the balance of power in Congress.\u00a0<\/p>\n Incumbent Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff is one of the most vulnerable Senate Democrats up for re-election in 2026, and\u00a0Tuesday’s primary could decide who goes head-to-head with the rising star in the Democratic Party in November.\u00a0<\/p>\n Brian Kemp, the\u00a0two-term\u00a0Republican governor of Georgia who turned down calls to run for the\u00a0Senate\u00a0seat himself this year, is supporting\u00a0neither\u00a0congressman. Kemp\u00a0has instead\u00a0thrown his\u00a0political\u00a0weight\u00a0behind former college football coach Derek Dooley,\u00a0the son of legendary University of Georgia football coach Vince Dooley.\u00a0<\/p>\n Kemp has made calls to donors to rally support for Dooley, a Kemp advisor told ABC News. Kemp\u2019s PAC, Hardworking Americans Inc., has also poured millions in the race to help support Dooley, who calls\u00a0himself a \u201cpolitical outsider.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Brian Kemp, governor of Georgia, left, and Marty Kemp, Georgia’s first lady, second left, watch as Derek Dooley, Republican U.S. Senate candidate for Georgia, second right, speaks during a campaign event at Whitetail Coffee Shop in Milton, Georgia, on Friday, May 15, 2026. The Georgia primary election will take place on May 19. Photographer: Elijah Nouvelage\/Bloomberg via Getty Images<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Elijah Nouvelage\/Bloomberg via Getty Images<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Kemp\u00a0has had a rocky relationship with the president\u00a0himself,\u00a0after contesting Trump\u2019s claims of election fraud in the 2020 election. However, Kemp remains popular among Georgians, winning reelection against a Trump-endorsed primary challenger in 2022.\u00a0<\/p>\n Tuesday’s primary races in Georgia will be a test of Kemp\u2019s\u00a0own\u00a0political power\u00a0in the state; the outgoing Georgia governor has not ruled out a potential 2028 presidential run.\u00a0<\/p>\n The real test of Trump\u2019s influence in Georgia\u00a0will\u00a0come\u00a0in the Republican primary to replace\u00a0term-limited\u00a0Kemp as governor,\u00a0where the president\u2019s early endorsement of current Lt. Governor Burt Jones failed to\u00a0clear the field\u00a0and\u00a0instead\u00a0set the stage\u00a0for a competitive primary battle against billionaire businessman\u00a0Rick Jackson, who is neck and neck with Jones in the polls.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n But unlike Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr \u2013 who are also running in the Republican primary for governor but are making appeals to more traditional GOP voters \u2013 Jackson is not shying away from running in the \u201cMake America Great Again\u201d lane, even\u00a0without Trump\u2019s backing.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI’m a conservative outsider and a businessman that wants to bring business solutions to Georgia, just like President Trump did,\u201d Jackson said at the primary debate for governor.\u00a0<\/p>\n Trump hosted a tele-rally for Jones earlier this month, where he reiterated his endorsement for the longtime Trump loyalist.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThere’s a lot of confusion.\u00a0Everyone’s\u00a0saying I endorsed them. I\u00a0didn’t. I endorsed a man named Burt Jones,\u201d Trump\u00a0told supporters on the call.\u00a0<\/p>\n Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms speaks during a campaign stop in her 2026 Democratic bid for governor, Nov. 17, 2025 in Columbus, Ga.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Jeff Amy\/AP<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n On the other side of the aisle, the Democratic candidates for governor are also talking about Trump \u2013 in how best to fight his policies.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cUnlike some people, I’m not running for governor to be Donald Trump; I’m running to stand up to him,\u201d said former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms in the latest ad from her campaign,\u00a0which\u00a0calls out\u00a0Jackson and Jones over\u00a0their\u00a0courting of Trump\u2019s favor.\u00a0<\/p>\n Bottoms\u00a0is\u00a0endorsed by former President Joe Biden and is\u00a0widely considered the frontrunner in the Democratic primary race, but it is unclear whether\u00a0she will meet the vote\u00a0threshold to avoid a runoff.\u00a0Democratic opponents that Bottoms could\u00a0face\u00a0in\u00a0a potential\u00a0runoff include former DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond, former Republican Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, and former Georgia state Sen. Jason Esteves.\u00a0<\/p>\n In Georgia,\u00a0if\u00a0one candidate does not receive\u00a050%\u00a0of the vote,\u00a0the top two finishers will advance to a runoff election on June 16. And with so many well-known contenders for office this\u00a0year,\u00a0runoffs\u00a0may be more likely on both sides of the aisle, up and down the ballot.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"Georgia](\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/e1c6c3d8-8085-4514-8ea7-27b16296a262\/kemp-dooley-getty-cw-20260518_1779162348615_hpEmbed_3x2.jpg?w=375)
<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>![\"businessman\"](\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/8d56ce04-328f-414f-9fd3-263ab6942d8f\/Keisha-Lance-Bottoms-ap-gmh-260518_1779143555279_hpEmbed_7x5.jpg?w=375 "\\"businessman\\"")
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