ATLANTA — Derek Dooley, a former college football head coach and the son of Georgia football legend Vince Dooley, has officially announced his 2026 US Senate campaign.
Derek Dooley filed his paperwork with the Federal Election Commission and launched his website on Sunday. He joins U.S. Representatives Buddy Carter and Mike Collins as the current GOP candidates to challenge Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff.
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“Leadership matters. Our state doesn’t have a voice in the U.S. Senate who reflects Georgia values because Ossoff is more concerned with protecting his own political future, opposing everything the Trump Administration is working to accomplish, and repeatedly voting with the extreme left. Unlike Ossoff, I’ll work with President Trump to implement his agenda, support his Administration, and move our country forward,” Dooley said in a statement.
Dooley reportedly will have the support of Gov. Brian Kemp, a longtime family friend who decided not to run for US Senate himself.
The Georgia Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee issued the following statement.
“The latest addition to Georgia’s messy and chaotic GOP primary is a failed football coach who has only ever spoken out to cheerlead Medicaid cuts that hurt Georgians. As this primary gets even more crowded and devolves into a proxy war between President Trump and Governor Kemp, Senator Ossoff is fighting for working families in Georgia and will hold his seat in 2026.”
This is a developing story. We’ll have reaction to Dooley’s announcement from both parties on Channel 2 Action News.
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