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Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
As Senate race heats up, political expert cautions candidates about going too far to the right
There is still more than a year from the 2026 midterm election, but in battleground Georgia the race for Senate is heating up. U.S. Rep. Mike Collins officially announced on Monday that he is running for Senate, as Georgia Insurance Commissioner John King just last week announced he was suspending his campaign in the race. Collins now joins fellow Republican U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter in the race to unseat Democratic incumbent Sen. Jon Ossoff. 'So, in these primaries, you tend to have to go pretty far to the right,' University of North Georgia political science professor Nathan Price told Channel 2's Richard Elliot. Both Collins and Carter are trying to court the GOP base as both men hope to get President Trump's endorsement. Price isn't surprised that both men are racing to the right. RELATED STORIES: Insurance Commissioner John King suspends campaign for U.S. Senate Gov. Kemp announces decision on Senate run in 2026, ending speculation With Brian Kemp not running for Senate, which Georgia Republicans could challenge Jon Ossoff? He thinks it's necessary to win the GOP primary but cautions that going too far right could turn off moderate voters in places like Cobb and North Fulton counties, places where voters like Republican Gov. Brian Kemp but don't much care for Trump. 'If you move too far to the right where you are not able to win those highly educated, suburban voters in those swing states, it makes the math very difficult,' Price said. Kemp reportedly told the Republican Senate campaigns he wouldn't endorse any of them, something that may have led to King's exit from the race last week. Kemp reportedly plans to endorse his longtime family friend Derek Dooley once Dooley decides if he wants to run. Either way, the Republicans could be in for a messy and expensive primary - something they wanted to avoid. 'The Republicans to have a good shot at this seat want to avoid a messy primary fight that causes them to spend a lot of resources before they even get their chance at that general election,' Price said. Elliot reached out to people close to Dooley to see if he could get a hint of when and if he may make a decision to run. So far, he hasn't heard back from them.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Who is running for U.S. Senate in Georgia? What to know after Mike Collins announces campaign
The competition continues to heat up over who will represent Georgia in the U.S. Senate. Jon Ossoff has been protecting his seat from multiple contenders, and now has to add U.S. Rep. Mike Collins to the list. Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John King was also running, but announced on X last week he was suspending his senatorial race. So here's what we know about Ossoff's current list of opponents: Who is Mike Collins? Republican: Mike Collins has represented Georgia's 10th congressional district. The Jackson native is the founder of Collins Trucking, and is one of the biggest figures behind the Laken Riley Act. "Jon Ossoff does not represent Georgia's values and has attacked our states' best interests at every opportunity," Collins said in a news release. "This is Georgia's moment. This is the people's time to take back control of this Senate seat, deliver on President Trump's America First agenda, and kick Jon Ossoff to the curb—and together, that's exactly what we will do next November." Who is Buddy Carter? Republican: Buddy Carter is a U.S. Representative for the Savannah area and has been since 2015. He has also been Mayor of Pooler and owner of Carter's Pharmacy, Inc. He is not related to former President Jimmy Carter. "Georgians will have a very simple choice in 2026: Do you want a MAGA warrior for you or do you want a trans warrior for they/them?" Carter wrote on X. "I'm with you. You can guess where Jon Ossoff is. Game on." Who is Vinson Watkins? Republican: Vinson Watkins studied at Mercer University and has worked as a writer, editor, and author. He lives in Atlanta and is also running for U.S. House of Representatives against Austin Scott. "I always do my homework," Watkins wrote in his Ballotpedia Candidate Connection. "I believe in facts and logic. I believe in listening to and understanding all sides of an issue. And I believe in admitting when I'm wrong." Who is Reagan Box? Republican: Reagan Box is a self-employed horse trainer with an eclectic background including art studies in Paris, sharks and sea turtle research in the Florida Keys, and missionary work in Costa Rica. "As Senator for the great state of Georgia, I will stand strong in the fight for the people and tackle the tough issues head-on," Box said on her website. "I will fight to protect the unborn, defend our God-given and Constitutional rights, and ensure our military is strong and free from the radical-left ideology that has damaged its effectiveness." Who is Elbert Arthur "AL" Bartell? Independent: Al Bartell is a policy analyst, a U.S. Air Force veteran, and chairman of the World Human Rights Network. He previously ran for U.S. Senate in 2020 and Georgia governor in 2022. "My campaign and the honor of being elected as a United States Senator will fulfill on an unprecedented commitment to leadership," he said on his Ballotpedia Candidate Connection. "Neighborhood, community, faith, and small business leaders deserve the same access to public policy as lobbyists, special interest groups, and corporations." Who is DeVelle Jackson? Independent: DeVelle Jackson lives in the Atlanta area but is a student at the University of Minnesota. He is also the owner of "Black XX Ltd Co" but little else is known. Other candidates The following are candidates who have filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission, but detailed information on their backgrounds and platforms was not immediately available: Democrat: Chris Capparell of Atlanta Republican: Christoph La'Flare Chapman of Columbus Republican: Rick Temple of Americus Miguel Legoas is a Deep South Connect Team Reporter for Gannett/USA Today. Find him on X and Instagram @miguelegoas and email at mlegoas@ This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Georgia U.S. Senate seat: Who has entered race to face Jon Ossoff?
Associated Press
4 days ago
- Politics
- Associated Press
Georgia Republican Mike Collins joins field seeking to challenge Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff in 2026
ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia Republican Mike Collins said Monday that he will join the field challenging Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff in the state the GOP has named as their top target to add a Senate seat in 2026. A second-term member of Congress from a district east of Atlanta, Collins becomes the newest top Republican to get into the primary race. U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter is already running, while state Insurance Commissioner John King dropped out. Also expected to run is former University of Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley. 'Jon Ossoff must go,' Collins said in a July 8 video. 'He certainly doesn't represent the vast majority of Georgians. He certainly doesn't represent the Georgia values that I cherish so much. Collins had been mulling a run since Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp announced in May that he would not run against Ossoff, depriving Republicans of their top choice to challenge a senator who won the 2021 runoff in the wake of the 2020 election. Twin victories by Ossoff and Raphael Warnock gave Democrats control of the U.S. Senate at the time and. It was the first time since 2002 that Georgia had two Democratic senators. Although Democrats have made Georgia increasingly competitive, Collins is among those who view Ossoff's election as a fluke and proclaim that the state is still fundamentally conservative. 'We deserve to have two U.S. senators who are out there fighting for us, and protecting us, not some woke overlords or some far-left-wing California donor base,' Collins said in the video. The 58-year-old Collins is the son of the late Mac Collins, who was an eight-term congressman who began his political career as a Democrat before becoming a Republican. Mike Collins is a co-owner of a family trucking firm and made a losing bid for Congress in 2014. He reemerged to win a 2022 race for an open seat, portraying himself as an everyman trucker and hard-core Donald Trump acolyte. With a big, booming personality and an edgy social media presence, Collins calls himself a 'MAGA workhorse.' Kemp and Trump have met and said they would try to agree on a preferred candidate. Anyone anointed by both of them would be stamped as the Republican front-runner. Kemp told Collins and others he would support Dooley, but Trump isn't ready to endorse yet. Collins has portrayed his interest in the Senate as seeking to best serve Trump 'I am going to continue to talk with President Trump and his team just about where we can be the best, beneficial, most help in this mission to make sure we get a Republican in the U.S. Senate from Georgia,' Collins said in the July 8 video. Collins' district stretches across 18 counties from the eastern suburbs of Atlanta through Athens. His best-known legislative accomplishment is a law passed this year to require the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency to detain undocumented immigrants charged with theft. That was a response to the 2024 murder of Laken Riley, a nursing student who was killed by Jose Antonio Ibarra, a Venezuelan man who federal officials said entered the U.S. illegally and was allowed to stay while he pursued his immigration case. The representative portrays himself as someone who can get things done, but he often takes a combative approach on social media. In March 2024 he was criticized for promoting a post from an antisemitic account that attacked a Jewish journalist as a 'garbage human.' In February 2024, his account on the social media platform X was temporarily suspended after he suggested that someone who had been arrested by federal authorities should be transported by 'Pinochet Air,' a reference to people who were thrown to their deaths from helicopters during the rule of Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet. That strategy could help Collins draw attention to wield against Ossoff — the only Democratic Senate incumbent seeking reelection in 2026 who represents a state Trump won. The race has already begun. Ossoff held his second campaign rally July 12 in Savannah. National Republicans have advertised against Ossoff's opposition to a bill barring schools from allowing transgender athletes to participate in women's sports. Ossoff raised $21 million in the first six months of this year and had $15.5 million in cash on June 30. But that's only the beginning. Ossoff and Warnock's twin Senate victories in 2021 cost more than $900 million combined, according to OpenSecrets, which tracks political spending. Warnock's 2022 reelection over Republican Herschel Walker cost more than $470 million, OpenSecrets found.
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Savannahian Randy Zurcher launches 'grassroots' run for U.S. House seat
Local teachers' union representative Randy Zurcher launched his "grassroots" bid for Coastal Georgia's U.S. House of Representatives seat Wednesday, pledging to take the district back from "bought and paid for" politicians who have represented the district in recent years. Zurcher made his announcement on steps outside of current U.S. House District 1 Representative Buddy Carter's Savannah field office, where Zurcher has been one of the weekly picketers outside the office complex this year. Carter is running for U.S. Senate against Sen. Jon Ossoff and will not be in next year's race for the U.S. House seat. In his announcement speech, Zurcher said he would work to roll back specific Trump policies such as cuts to social services like Medicaid and ramped up immigration enforcement by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. "This is a democracy, and if elected, I'll fight to claw it back [together] piece by piece," he said. Open seat: Six-term Congressman Buddy Carter announces bid for Senate seat opposing Ossoff Zurcher is the first Democrat from Chatham County to announce a bid for the open seat, which will be up for election next year. Two Democrats from St. Mary's, Defonsio Daniels and Joseph Palimeno, have set up campaign committees for the seat that are registered with the Federal Elections Commission. The U.S. House District 1 seat covers Georgia's coast and stretches westward past Waycross. The seat is reliably red, with Carter carrying 15% to 20% of the vote each contested election over the past decade. The Republican field has drawn a handful of contenders so far, including Chatham County Commissioner Pat Farrell and Jim Kingston, son of former 1st District Congressman Jack Kingston. Zurcher said in an interview that winning the seat was an "uphill battle," but that he could make a strong run by appealing to working class voters in the district. "It's going to have to take a real grassroots effort. But I will say this, I don't feel like this is as much of a left versus right or a red versus blue battle, but working people, normal people, people who rely on earned benefits like Social Security versus a few billionaires who don't want us to have our own benefits," Zurcher said. Zurcher enters the race with experience in public office as a city councilman in Fayetteville, Arkansas in the late 1990s and early 2000s. There, Zurcher championed a Human Dignity Resolution that provided job protection for gay and lesbian city employees, as well as fighting off a landfill on a "geologically sensitive" mountain in the area, he said. Zurcher has also worked in real estate in Savannah but is now a local representative for the American Federation of Teachers union. He has also canvassed locally for Democratic candidates, most notably Kamala Harris' bid for president last year and U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock's runoff campaign against Herschel Walker in 2022. On Wednesday, Zurcher was joined by about 15 supporters, many who were also picketing along Abercorn Street outside the office complex Wednesday. It was alongside those people that Zurcher came to the decision to run for the seat, where over the course of the past four months, the group noticed no local Democrats had entered the race yet. One of those supporters was Bob Morgan, who has picketed with Zurcher on Abercorn Street and also rode with him to Washington D.C. for a protest against cuts to Veterans Affairs. Morgan recalled Zurcher driving the majority of the trip to D.C. and back in one day. "That's a guy that has energy," Morgan said. Morgan added that Zurcher's stand against cuts to social services was one key reason for his support. He believes Zurcher will be loyal to people opposed to corporations, he said. Evan Lasseter is the city of Savannah and Chatham County government reporter for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at ELasseter@ This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah resident launches Democratic bid for U.S. House seat Solve the daily Crossword
Fox News
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
From Washington: Texas Floods Test President Trump's Disaster Response
President Trump traveled to Kerrville, Texas, to meet with families and local officials impacted by the devastating July 4th flash floods. Former White House Press Secretary and FOX News Contributor Ari Fleischer discusses the importance of how Presidents respond to natural disasters and how federal agencies handle emergencies. Later, he reacts to the President's latest tariff policies, the NYC mayoral race, and the one-year anniversary of the attempted assassination of President Trump in Butler, PA. Later, Congressman Buddy Carter (R-GA) discusses how his family was impacted by the Texas floods. He emphasizes the need for unity while cautioning against finger-pointing in the wake of tragedy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit
