Kemp stokes 2024 Senate talk amid meetings with lawmakers

Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp is meeting with Senate lawmakers this week, prompting speculation that he may be eyeing a 2026 Senate campaign as his second gubernatorial term comes to an end.

Kemp met with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday, Politico reported, and will meet with National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Steve Daines, R-Mont., on Wednesday.

Though he narrowly claimed the governor's mansion in his 2018 contest with Democrat Stacy Abrams, he handily triumphed over her in a 2022 rematch, winning by seven points in a state in which Republicans have struggled to notch wins in recent years.

Formerly a Republican bastion, the Peach State has trended increasingly moderate in recent years, and currently has two Democratic Senators. Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff will face reelection in 2026, just as Kemp's second term expires.

Kemp has thus far declined to comment on his 2026 plans, though his demonstrable electoral success in battleground Georgia has attracted attention among those seeking to reclaim Ossoff's seat for the GOP.  He has also announced he does not plan to run for president in 2024.

The governor attracted the ire of former President Donald Trump in 2020 due to his unwillingness to entertain Trump's claims that election fraud influenced the outcome of the presidential contest in Georgia, which President Joe Biden narrowly won.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.