2026 races loom at Georgia Republican convention as Trump loyalty dominates

DALTON, Ga. -- Steve Bannon took the signifier Friday nighttime astatine the Georgia Republican Convention to accidental it’s excessively aboriginal to beryllium talking astir 2026.

“Don’t adjacent deliberation astir the midterms,” the Republican strategist told activists. “Not close now. ’26, we’ll deliberation astir it later. It’s backing President Trump close now.”

But it didn’t work.

There was plentifulness of praise for Donald Trump. And portion the enactment took attraction of different concern similar electing officers and adopting a platform, the 2026 races for politician and Senate were already connected the minds of galore connected Friday and Saturday successful the northwest Georgia metropolis of Dalton.

“Everybody campaigns arsenic speedy arsenic they can,” U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene told The Associated Press Saturday.

Lots of different radical showed up sounding similar candidates. Greene, aft passing connected a U.S. Senate bid against Democratic incumbent Jon Ossoff, laid retired a slate of state-level issues connected Saturday that volition apt substance speculation that she mightiness tally for politician to regenerate term-limited Republican Gov. Brian Kemp.

Echoing Trump’s signature slogan, Greene told the normal to “Make Georgia large again, for Georgia.”

She called for abolishing the authorities income tax, infusing “classical” principles into Georgia’s nationalist schools, reopening intelligence hospitals to instrumentality mentally sick radical disconnected the streets, and changing Georgia’s economical inducement argumentation to de-emphasize taxation breaks for overseas companies and tv and moviemakers.

“Now these are state-level issues, but I privation you to beryllium talking astir them,” Greene said.

In her AP interrogation earlier the speech, Greene said moving for politician is an “option,” but besides said she has a “wonderful blessing” of serving her northwest Georgia territory and exercising power successful Washington.

“Pretty overmuch each azygous superior canvass shows that I americium the apical person easily, and that gives maine the quality to deliberation astir it. But it’s a choice. It’s my own, that I volition speech astir with my family.”

More apt to tally for politician is Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who is expected to denote a bid aboriginal this summer.

“I committedness you, I’m going to beryllium progressive successful this upcoming predetermination cycle,” Jones told delegates Friday.

Like Greene, Jones is among the Georgia Republicans closest to Trump, and emphasized that “the ellipse is small” of salient Republicans who stood by the president aft the 2020 election. Jones besides took a veiled changeable astatine authorities Attorney General Chris Carr, who declared his bid for politician successful December and showed up Friday to enactment the crowd, but did not present a code to the convention.

“Always retrieve who showed up for you,” Jones said. “And ever retrieve who delivers connected their promises.”

Carr told the AP that helium didn't talk due to the fact that helium was alternatively attending a run lawsuit astatine a edifice successful Dalton connected Friday, emphasizing the value of gathering idiosyncratic relationships. Although Trump targeted him for decision successful the 2022 primary, Carr said he's assured that Republicans volition enactment him, calling himself a “proud Kemp Republican," and saying helium would absorption connected bread-and-butter issues.

“This state’s been built connected agriculture, manufacturing, trade, the military, nationalist safety,” Carr said. “These are the issues that Georgians attraction about.”

The easiest applause enactment each play was pledging to assistance bushed Ossoff.

“Jon Ossoff should not beryllium successful bureau astatine all," said U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, who is spending heavy connected tv advertizing to enactment his Senate run.

“Folks, President Trump needs backup, helium needs backup successful the Senate,” said authorities Insurance Commissioner John King, who is besides moving for the Senate. "He’s going to request a four-year bulk to get the occupation done. And that starts close present successful the authorities of Georgia.”

Former University of Tennessee shot manager Derek Dooley, who expressed involvement Friday successful moving for Senate, did not code delegates.

But 1 other imaginable candidate, U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, did. Collins told delegates that successful 2026 it was a precedence to decision Ossoff and regenerate him with a “solid conservative.”

It's not clear, though, if Collins himself volition run.

“We're going to spot however this happening plays out,” Collins told the AP. “I'm not burning to beryllium a senator, but we've got to instrumentality this spot back.”