ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has endorsed Derek Dooley, the former University of Tennessee football coach and son of late UGA coaching legend Vince Dooley, for the U.S. Senate seat in the Peach State on Saturday in Athens.

Dooley is a part of a field of Republican primary contenders seeking their party's nomination to challenge incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff in the 2026 general election.

At Saturday’s endorsement tailgate at Sanford Stadium, Kemp framed Dooley as the kind of "outsider" Republicans need to defeat Ossoff.

"We’re also here today to support a common-sense conservative, a political outsider, someone that Marty and I have known for over 40 years, someone that brings our values from this state and will take them to Washington, D.C," the Georgia Republican

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