Derek Dooley, a former University of Tennessee football coach, formally announced his 2026 Republican campaign for U.S. Senate against Democratic incumbent Jon Ossoff in Georgia. Dooley joins a crowded Republican primary, where President Donald Trump has not yet endorsed any Republican challenger seeking to flip Ossoff’s key swing seat in the Senate. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp is backing Dooley.
Amid internal deliberations, Kemp’s decision, announced on July 24, led Georgia Insurance Commissioner John King to drop out of the race. Dooley now joins U.S. Reps. Buddy Carter and Mike Collins as GOP challengers to Democrat Jon Ossoff.
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Derek Dooley is the son of the well-known Georgia football coach, Vince Dooley. Vince coached Georgia for 25 years, and Derek himself coached teams in Louisiana and Tennessee. He has no formal experience in politics and is running as an “outsider” who supports Donald Trump.
