Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, a top House ally of President Donald Trump and a MAGA firebrand with a national following, is passing on a 2026 Senate run.
The three-term conservative lawmaker who represents a solidly red district in northwest Georgia, in a lengthy statement announcing her decision that was posted to social media on Friday night, took aim at Democratic incumbent Sen. Jon Ossoff, a top GOP target whom Republicans view as extremely vulnerable in next year’s midterm elections.
But Greene saved much of her venom for fellow Republicans, many of whom feared a polarizing campaign if Greene became the party’s 2026 nominee in Georgia, and for the institution of the Senate itself.
“Someone once said, ‘The Senate is where good ideas go to die.’ They were right. That’s why I’m not running,” Greene wrote as she announced her decision.
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Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, said she won’t run for Senate. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
And Greene argued, “Here’s the hard truth: the Senate doesn’t work. It’s designed to obstruct the will of the people and protect the Uniparty’s grip on power. Nearly everything requires 60 votes to pass, and even when we have a majority, a pack of Republican Senators always votes “no” on the bills that matter most.”
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Greene’s announcement came four days after two-term Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, who was the National Republican Senatorial Committee’s top recruit in battleground Georgia, revealed that he would also pass on a Senate bid.
Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia also said he would not run for Senate. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)
The popular conservative governor, who is term-limited and prevented from seeking re-election in 2026, was the GOP’s dream candidate to take on Ossoff, as Republicans aim to expand their 53-47 Senate majority in next year’s elections.
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Greene, in her statement, claimed, “Beating Jon Ossoff? That would be easy. He’s a silver-spoon progressive who’s never held a real job or worried about putting a roof over his family’s head.”
“So, Jon Ossoff, you can stop with the fundraising emails and campaign ads claiming I’m your opponent. I’m not running,” she added.
Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., speaks during an interview at Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Saturday, April 26, 2025, in Marietta, Georgia. The first-term Democrat is running for re-election in the 2026 midterms. (AP)
While criticizing Ossoff, Greene turned up the volume on her own party, including “the same elites who scoffed at me when I first ran for Congress in 2020.”
“Most elected Republicans, propped up by consultants and rich donors, fail to deliver on their campaign promises. Why? Because their donors and handlers don’t want change. They want to protect their own interests, not yours,” Greene charged.
She took aim at “the Republicans who see Trump as a speed bump,” and argued that “polling has become so dishonest that most people barely pay attention to it anymore. Voters are sick of the consultants who keep getting rich whether we win or lose.”
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Greene described herself as “effective, fearless, and relentless, not because I serve the Republican Party, but because I serve the American people.”
But she added that “I won’t fight for a team that refuses to win, that protects its weakest players, and that undermines the very people it’s supposed to serve… To the elite retreaters, the consultants, and the establishment: consider this your warning.”
In the wake of Kemp’s announcement, GOP Rep. Buddy Carter, who represents coastal Georgia, launched a Senate campaign this week. Other Georgia Republicans expressing interest in running are Reps. Mike Collins and Rich McCormick, state Insurance Commissioner John King, state Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and State Sen. Greg Dolezal.
Georgia-based Republican consultants tell Fox News they expect a crowded and competitive primary.
Greene, earlier this year, said that she was also considering a run for Georgia governor. And in her statement, she didn’t rule out a gubernatorial run in the race to succeed Kemp.