Georgia Attorney General Announces 2026 Bid for Governor

Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr speaks during a news conference to discuss the recent indictment of 61 defendants in Fulton County, at the Georgia Department of Public Safety in Atlanta, on Sept. 5, 2023. Natrice Miller/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP

Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr, a Republican, announced on Thursday his plans to run for the state’s governor in 2026 after Gov. Brian Kemp ended his two consecutive terms in office.

Carr stated on X that he had filed the necessary paperwork to run for governor, making him the first candidate to enter the state’s 2026 gubernatorial contest.

“As a proven conservative, building on the legacy of Brian Kemp, Nathan Deal and Sonny Perdue, I’m running to create jobs for hardworking Georgians, keep our families and our neighborhoods safe, and vigorously defend our constitution and our freedoms,” Carr stated.

“Together, we will fight to keep Georgia red,” he added.

The paperwork that he filed was with the Georgia Ethics Commission and was needed to form a campaign committee to raise funds for his gubernatorial bid.

Carr was first appointed as the state’s attorney general in 2016 by then-Gov. Nathan Deal, after Sam Olens resigned from the position to become president of Kennesaw State University. He was elected to a full term in 2018 and re-elected in 2022.

According to his campaign website, Carr aims to promote the state’s private sector by offering tax incentives and eliminating “red tape and burdensome regulations” to help grow small businesses in Georgia.

Carr pledged to tackle the opioid crisis in Georgia and to ensure that law enforcement has enough resources to combat violent crimes. Carr stated that he will work with President-elect Donald Trump to deport “criminal illegals” from the state and promised to “hold elected officials accountable” and uphold the state’s election integrity.

In 2022, Carr launched Georgia’s first statewide Gang Prosecution Unit, which has led to 50 convictions and indicted 140 people, according to his office. In 2019, he formed the Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit, which has assisted nearly 200 children.

Before becoming the state’s attorney general, Carr served as commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development under Deal’s administration in 2013 and also served as Sen. Johnny Isakson’s chief of staff in 2007.

Carr will not be the only Republican candidate in the gubernatorial race, as Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger are also expected to run for the role.

Jones is a close ally of Trump and would likely angle for his endorsement. By contrast, Trump endorsed primary opponents who ultimately lost to both Carr and Raffensperger in 2022, fueled by his displeasure that they did not back his attempts to contest the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia.

Kemp, also a Republican, is unable to seek a third term in office in 2026 due to the state’s two-consecutive-term limit.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.