Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has placed last in a new poll measuring potential candidates in the 2026 Georgia U.S. Senate, a seat the GOP sees as a prime chance to flip.

Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff, who was first elected in 2021 is running for reelection to a second term in office. No Republicans have officially announced a bid for the seat.

Why It Matters

Georgia, which narrowly backed President Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election, is viewed by Republicans as a top opportunity to pick up a seat and keep their narrow majority in the Senate.

The state has turned increasingly purple with a popular Republican governor and two Democratic senators. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s poor showing in the poll could be a sign that her hardline brand of politics may have limited appeal beyond her staunchly conservative congressional district. A weak GOP nominee could give Democrats an edge in the important 2026 race.

What To Know

A new poll from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, conducted between April 15 and April 24 among 1,000 registered Georgia voters, found that voters preferred Ossoff over Greene by a 17-point margin—the largest gap in the survey—in a hypothetical race, with the Democrat getting 54 percent of the vote compared to 37 percent for the congresswoman.

The result was largely driven by Greene’s unpopularity with independents, 60 percent of whom said they would back Ossoff in a matchup, and moderate Republicans, with nearly 10 percent of Trump voters saying they would also back the incumbent.

The same survey found that Republican Governor Brian Kemp was tops among possible GOP contenders, leading within the margin of error at 49 percent to Ossoff’s 46 percent. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger came in second, polling at 39 percent to Ossoff’s 48 percent. Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John King wasn’t far behind, polling at 38 percent to Ossoff’s 51 percent.

Georgia marks one of the GOP’s best opportunities to flip a Senate seat in the 2026 cycle.

Ossoff is the only Senate Democrat up for reelection in a state that Trump carried in 2024. In Michigan, another state carried by the president in 2024, Democratic Senator Gary Peters has decided not to run for reelection. Democrats likely need to retain both seats if they hope to gain the majority.

While Kemp has not yet announced his intention to run, he has been quietly considering a Senate run for months, telling supporters he’s still weighing his options, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. While the party waits for his decision, the Republican field has been left in limbo.

Meanwhile, Greene, a staunch Trump ally known for her far-right views, hasn’t officially declared a run for Senate but acknowledged to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in February that she’s seriously considering it. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t,” she admitted.

Other potential contenders for the role include U.S. Representatives Buddy Carter of Pooler and Mike Collins of Jackson, who were not included in the poll.

A Quantus Insights poll conducted between February 11 and February 13 among 800 registered voters, found Kemp leading Ossoff by 4 points, by 48 percent to 44 percent.

That poll showed that Kemp’s strength lies in his rock-solid Republican base (93 percent favorability) and strong support among white voters (69 percent). He also dominates among older voters, leading by 20 points among those 65+, a group that reliably turns out for elections. He also had an advantage among noncollege voters (52 percent to Ossoff’s 41 percent).

Meanwhile, the poll showed that Ossoff’s coalition relies on three key voting blocs: African American voters (81 percent support), younger voters (52 percent among 18-29-year-olds), and college-educated Georgians (50 percent to Kemp’s 43 percent). But these are the very groups that have historically lower midterm turnout.

Independents were nearly split—42 percent favored Kemp, 48 percent backed Ossoff, and 10 percent were undecided.

The Quantus poll had a margin of error plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

What People Are Saying

GOP operative Stephen Lawson told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “If Brian Kemp runs for the U.S. Senate, Brian Kemp will be the next U.S. Senator from Georgia.

“But if he takes a pass, Republicans should be much more judicious about who the nominee is, given the uncertain political environment and the fact that Jon Ossoff has proven he will be a formidable opponent.”

What Happens Next

Greene has not yet declared if she is going to run for the Georgia Senate seat.

The 2026 United States Senate election in Georgia will be held on November 3, 2026.