Sen. Ossoff: ‘Human rights crisis’ in Georgia jails
Sen. Jon Ossoff responded to a Department of Justice report on the Fulton County Jail saying there is a serious “human rights crisis” in jail and prisons in the Georgia.
Fox – 5 Atlanta
WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Georgia, announced he will run for Georgia’s Senate seat in 2026. He is the first GOP challenger to Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff in what is expected to be one of the most competitive Senate races of the cycle.
In his debut ad released May 8, the six-term Republican billed himself as a “MAGA warrior” who has “helped Trump secure our border” and who “knows the difference between a man and a woman,” referencing Ossoff’s vote against a Republican-led bill to bar transgender athletes from playing in women’s sports.
Carter has been laying the groundwork for a Senate run for years and said he would run if the state’s popular Republican governor, Brian Kemp, decided not to do so. Kemp announced he wouldn’t run on May 5, boosting Ossoff’s chances.
Georgia’s Senate seat is one of two “toss-up” races in the 2026 Senate map, according to the nonpartisan Cook Political Report. The other is the open Michigan Senate race to replace retiring Sen. Gary Peters, D-Michigan.
In order to win back the chamber, Democrats would have to retain all 13 Senate seats they currently hold and win an additional four seats held by Republicans. That will be a challenge, as most Republican senators running for reelection in 2026 are from solidly red states.
Carter is a former pharmacist who represents the Savannah area. He has served in the House since 2015.
“In the wake of Republicans’ embarrassing recruitment failure in Georgia, Buddy Carter is kicking off a messy, divisive primary in Georgia that will expose their flawed candidates and leave them with a damaged nominee,” said Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spokesperson Maeve Coyle in a statement.