As of November 2002, the long minority party Georgia GOP had just won two upset victories for Governor and U.S. Senator. Incumbent Democrats Governor Roy Barnes and U.S. Senator Max Cleland both led in most every poll heading into the election by double digits. Down ticket wins narrowed majorities in the State House and State Senate for Democrats. The GOP would capture a majority in the State Senate in 2004.
After nearing 150 years in the minority (since Reconstruction) the Georgia Republican Party was building a broad coalition of Conservatives, Chamber of Commerce business owners and centrists, suburban women, Libertarians, Independents and simply voters seeking a change after a seemingly endless run of one-party rule. Democrats were stunned and caught flat-footed, and continued to lose Congressional seats (which had become majority GOP in the 1994 midterms), and from 2004 forward, Team Blue would find itself on the losing end of most statewide races and an increasing number of out-state contests as sheriffs, county commissions and even municipal races (the latter officially nonpartisan) swang to the GOP.
But more recently, GOP activists and state party leadership have moved from the days of Ronald Reagan’s “Big Tent” to a series of loyalty oath and litmus tests, as well as censured each of Georgia's GOP Governors at state conventions, for breaking with what some considered violating party dogma or principle. This spring, the same shrinking and more uber conservative state party censured their own House Speaker (Jon Burns), lionized an egotistical and stunt-driven State Senator and officially 'forbade' a twice elected Republican Secretary of State from seeking future office as a Republican.
An intra-GOP divide over the results of the 2020 Presidential election contest in Georgia continues to fester like a long-simmering family feud. Trump acolytes on the State Election Board have sought a new U.S. Justice Department review of 2020 Fulton County ballots and recounts.
President Donald Trump was then focused on overturning or stalling the January 6th certification of Electoral College results in 2020, and 400,000 Georgia GOP voters, warned that the voting machines were easily rigged, sat out two U.S. Senate runoffs on January 5th. The Senate contest and Kemp's appointment of interim Senator Kelly Loeffler with Trump backing former Congressman Doug Collins was the start of a multi-year feud (mostly one-sided) between the Governor and former President. Yet Governor Kemp is again embracing and supporting a virtual unknown in Georgia politics as well as the state GOP. Derek Dooley officially joined the GOP Senate race field, along with two well regarded MAGA focused members of Congress...Buddy Carter and Mike Collins. One can easily note the echoes and slight pattern of play from the former Senate contest.
Carter and Collins are both well established as Trump loyalists, each with their own bases and deep war chests. Collins is the second generation of his family to serve Georgia in Congress, following his father and fellow trucking industry executive Mac Collins. Kemp has made his planned support for Dooley clear, causing well-regarded Georgia Insurance Commissioner John King to almost immediately withdraw from the race. The Dooley name is legendary across Georgia. Coach Vince and Barbara Dooley are beloved by hundreds of thousands among Bulldog Nation and UGA alumni. Vince at least twice considered runs for statewide office, but stayed in his lane of NCAA sports.
And Derek Dooley has spent much of the past two decades not living in Georgia. While living in New York State he was not a registered Republican, he has missed voting in many election cycles, and he has never been a Trump campaign donor, those his intro/bio ad positions him strongly as a Trump supporter. In a political party led by perhaps its most transactional President in history, it is hard to divine a path placing ahead of Carter and Collins in seeking Trump's nod or favor.
The Brian Kemp of 2025 is a much more established and proven Governor than in 2019, and his senior staff of those days now surround Dooley. But perhaps the biggest obstacle to overcome for a former Coach, who followed his father and uncle into the 'family business' is that he coached across state lines for three seasons at Tennessee. His time in Sanford Stadium and at UGA was as a fan in the stands or a young son of Dooley on the sidelines. And that is long out-numbered by his days wearing orange and singing Rocky Top. There is only ONE GOP standard bearer who can carry votes and proudly wear Orange in Georgia, and he isn't going to be on any ballots this time around.
