ATLANTA — In an 11Alive interview on Monday, Congressman Buddy Carter revealed he is considering a run for the U.S. Senate in 2026.
"There's no question in my mind that the state of Georgia should not be represented by two Democratic senators," Carter said. "We need a Republican Senator. We need both of them. All of our constitutional offices are Republican, so there's no reason why we should have two Democratic senators."
When asked directly whether he was contemplating a run for the Senate in 2026, Carter said: "I won't dispute that."
With that announcement, the Savannah Republican becomes perhaps the first politician to publicly float a possible challenge to incumbent Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff in 2026.
Carter currently represents Georgia's First Congressional District, which includes Savannah, Brunswick and Waycross.
He was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2014. Before that, he served as the mayor of Pooler and in the Georgia General Assembly, according to his bio.
Carter broke the news during an interview for 11Alive's Sunday politics show: The Georgia Vote. This is a weekly 30-minute political conversation program that airs on Sundays at 11:00 AM.
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