Georgia GOP Gov. Brian Kemp (R) won’t run for U.S. Senate in the 2026 midterm elections, removing the strongest potential challenger for Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff.

National Republicans had heavily recruited Kemp to challenge Ossoff, who is running for a second term in a swing state narrowly won by President Donald Trump in 2024.

“I have decided that being on the ballot next year is not the right decision for me and my family,” Kemp told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Monday. Kemp, who has strong approval ratings, said he would deploy his political network and fundraising prowess to help another contender.

The highest-profile potential challenger for Ossoff is now Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a far-right conspiracy theorist who operatives in both parties believe would be a weak candidate.

But the GOP has other options: Reps. Buddy Carter, Mike Collins and Rich McMormick have all expressed interest in running. Two statewide elected Republicans, Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper and Insurance Commissioner John King, could also run.