SAVANNAH, Ga. () – Rep. Buddy Carter announced Thursday he will be running for a senate seat in Georgia in 2026.

Rep. Carter is currently serving Georgia’s 1st Congressional District in the House of Representatives, a role he has held since 2015.

Carter’s announcement came after Georgia Governor Brian Kemp announced on May 5 that he would not run.

Rep. Carter is the first Republican to enter the race. He declared his candidacy through a video ad shared on social media, calling himself a “MAGA Warrior.”

“It’s an exciting day. It’s an exciting day for me personally, and I hope it’s an exciting day for the people of GA,” he said.

In the upcoming race, Rep. Carter will face incumbent Sen. Jon Ossoff, who has his position since January of 2021.

“The voters have rejected those [Republicans] in previous senate races. Now, as you’re approaching the upcoming cycle next year, that hasn’t shown to be a successful strategy,” said Orlando Scott, Communications Chair for Georgia’s Democratic Party of Chatham County.

While Carter has aligned himself with Trump, Ossoff, as well as the other Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock, are both democrats.

“Every statewide elected official in Georgia is a Republican except for these two senators. They’re both Democrats, and I would argue that’s an anomaly,” Carter said.

At home, Carter has been facing opposition for several weeks, with a series of ongoing protests held outside his offices.

Most demonstrators have been calling for one thing: an in-person town hall.

“He hasn’t had an in-person town hall since 2017. Now, he wants a promotion to cover the state of Georgia,” Scott said. “People want answers. People want to speak to their representative. People want to touch their representatives and for them to have a listening ear. Congressman Carter hasn’t done that”

When asked whether he would host an in-person town hall in the future, Carter said, “I’m sure that we will have plenty of tele-town halls. I’m sure that we will have plenty of debates during the campaign, and I welcome that. The people will have the opportunity to voice their concerns.”

Carter is now in his fifth term representing Georgia’s first district. Before being elected to the U.S. House, he previously served as the mayor of Pooler and in the Georgia General Assembly.

Carter is a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the House Budget Committee.