Two major developments have shaken up the American political landscape as the country looks ahead to the 2026 Senate elections. In Georgia, a high-profile endorsement and an outsider candidate have set the stage for a heated Republican primary, while in Iowa, the impending retirement of a prominent senator has opened the door to new political battles and speculation. Both stories reflect the volatility and personal drama that continue to define U.S. politics in this era.
On Saturday, August 30, 2025, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp made headlines by throwing his support behind Derek Dooley, a political novice and former University of Tennessee football coach, for the state’s U.S. Senate seat. According to the Associated Press, Kemp argued that the best way to challenge incumbent Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff is to run an outsider—someone unencumbered by years in Congress and able to focus squarely on Ossoff’s record. "I’m a firm believer that we need a political outsider to do that, someone that can stay focused on his record, but also someone who has a vision for our state in the future," Kemp declared at a tailgate party near Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia. "That is not a politician."
Kemp’s endorsement was not exactly a surprise. He had signaled to other Republican hopefuls that he would back Dooley even before the former coach officially entered the race. But the governor’s public appearance with Dooley, combined with his decision to allocate campaign resources and his closest aides to Dooley’s effort, makes it clear this is no half-hearted gesture. Kemp himself opted not to run for the seat, instead investing his political capital in the 57-year-old Dooley, whose ties to Georgia football royalty—he is the son of legendary coach Vince Dooley—add a layer of local intrigue.
Dooley, for his part, wasted no time in going on the offensive, targeting Ossoff’s support for President Joe Biden and his opposition to Donald Trump. "What’s amazing is he wants to be our quarterback for the next six years," Dooley said of Ossoff. "And where I come from, when you deliver results like that, your ass goes on the bench. So I’m looking forward to rolling up my sleeves. I’m going to earn the support every day from the people and Georgia and give this Senate seat back to them." His remarks, reported by AP, played to the crowd’s appetite for plainspoken, sports-infused rhetoric.
Yet Dooley’s outsider status is a double-edged sword. He admitted he didn’t vote in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections—years when Trump was on the ballot—citing the demands of his coaching career as the reason. That admission has drawn sharp criticism from rival Republican candidate Mike Collins, who argued, "If we nominate someone who didn’t vote for Donald Trump in 2016 or 2020, never registered as a Republican, and hasn’t lived in Georgia for 25 years, the base will not show up, the low-propensity Trump voters will stay home, and Jon Ossoff will win again—period." Collins, a current U.S. Representative, made his case in a statement posted online, pushing back against Kemp’s reasoning and highlighting the risks of nominating a relative newcomer.
The Republican field in Georgia is already crowded, with U.S. Representatives Buddy Carter and Mike Collins, along with activist Reagan Box, all vying for the nomination. Carter’s spokesperson, Harley Adsit, dismissed Kemp’s endorsement, saying, "There’s only one endorsement that matters in Georgia—and with all due respect, it ain’t this one." Meanwhile, the Democratic Party of Georgia, through spokesperson Devon Cruz, accused Kemp of "fanning the flames of an already chaotic GOP U.S. Senate primary."
Dooley’s campaign is also contending with attacks on his coaching record—he posted a 15-21 mark with the Tennessee Volunteers before being fired in 2012—and questions about his connection to Georgia, given his years coaching at out-of-state programs. Still, Dooley is leaning into his football legacy, emphasizing that leadership in coaching and politics share core values: "Leadership matters," he said at the Athens event, as reported by AP. "Bringing people together, finding some common ground and bringing hope and opportunity for them every day."
While Georgia Republicans jockey for position, Iowa faces its own seismic shift. Multiple sources have confirmed that Senator Joni Ernst, 55, will not seek re-election in 2026, with a formal announcement expected soon, according to NBC News. Ernst, who first won her Senate seat in 2014 and was re-elected in 2020, has been a fixture in Republican politics for over a decade, known for her military background and no-nonsense style.
Born on July 1, 1970, in Red Oak, Iowa, Ernst’s story has long resonated with voters. Raised on a farm, she served more than two decades in the Army Reserves and Iowa National Guard, ultimately rising to lieutenant colonel. Her deployment to Kuwait and Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, where she commanded a transportation company, became a touchstone of her campaign. After returning to Iowa, she entered state politics, winning a seat in the Iowa Senate in 2011 before her historic victory as the first woman from Iowa elected to the U.S. Senate three years later.
Ernst’s financial standing has also attracted attention. Official Senate disclosures from 2018 put her net worth at –$197,000, reflecting debts that outweighed her assets. However, a 2024 biography site cited an unverified $19 million figure—an estimate that has not been corroborated by official filings. The wide gap between these numbers underscores the ongoing debate over financial transparency for public officials.
Her personal life, too, has been the subject of public scrutiny. Ernst divorced her husband of 26 years, Gail Ernst, in January 2019, with court documents revealing allegations of abuse and infidelity. The divorce unfolded as she continued her Senate duties, adding to the pressures of political life.
Throughout her Senate career, Ernst championed fiscal conservatism, military issues, and Iowa’s farming interests. She rose quickly in party leadership, becoming one of the most visible Republican women in Congress. But her tenure was not without controversy. At a recent town hall, she responded to concerns about Medicaid with the now-infamous remark, "we are all going to die," a comment that drew national criticism and, according to political analysts, damaged her public image at a sensitive time.
Analysts suggest Ernst’s decision to step aside was influenced by several factors: the exhaustion that comes with more than a decade in Washington, the increasingly competitive political climate in Iowa, and the fallout from her recent public misstep. Democrats are already eyeing the open seat as a prime pickup opportunity, setting the stage for a fierce battle in 2026.
Both the Georgia and Iowa stories highlight the deeply personal nature of today’s politics, where candidates’ biographies, past decisions, and even offhand remarks can shape the course of major elections. As the 2026 campaigns begin to take shape, voters in both states—and across the nation—will be watching closely to see which outsiders, insiders, and unexpected contenders emerge to define the next chapter in American government.
