ATLANTA — Just three days after one Georgia member of Congress declined to run and another announced he would run, we have another Republican throwing his hat into the ring.
Georgia’s insurance commissioner, John King, says he wants to run against Democratic incumbent U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff.
When Gov. Brian Kemp said last week he wouldn’t run for Senate, the race became a whole new ballgame.
King started making fundraising calls just hours after officially announcing Monday that he’s a candidate for U.S. Senate.
“I wanted to tell you that I filed paperwork this morning to run for the United States Senate,” King said on the call.
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King is the only Hispanic to ever win a statewide office.
Born in Mexico, he came to Georgia legally at 17, joined the Army and rose from private to two-star general, and eventually became Doraville’s police chief.
King’s announcement comes just a week after Kemp declined to run, and three days after U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene rejected a run in a blistering attack on Georgia Republicans, saying, “I won’t fight for a team that refuses to win.”
Fellow Georgia U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter announced on Friday that he would run, but others are considering jumping in, too.
Both are running to unseat Ossoff.
Georgia Democrats issued this statement on Monday, saying: “John King touting his loyalty to Donald Trump at the launch of his bid for Georgia’s Senate seat is telling yet not surprising as the Republican field grows and caters to the MAGA far right.”
King did say he fully supports the president’s agenda and believes he can not only win a primary, but the general election, too.
“I’m a known quantity. No one is ever going to have to wonder where John King is going to come from and where he’s going to stand on this. I haven’t changed and I don’t see myself changing anytime soon,” King said.
Since the primary is a year away, you can expect to see more Republicans jump into the ring.
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