Derek Dooley taps Brian Kemp’s inner circle for possible Georgia Senate bid

Since he told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in June that he was considering entering the race, Dooley has kept a low public profile — though he has privately met with key Kemp supporters and senior advisers to Trump.

It’s no secret that Dooley and Kemp are close — the governor grew up vacationing with Dooley’s family and roomed with his brother Daniel in college — but the hires clearly establish Dooley’s political connection to Kemp.

Hall has served as Kemp’s top political communicator and a key strategist since the governor’s first campaign in 2018, while Ruppersburg has been a central figure in Kemp’s fundraising operation since that race as well.

The additions come as Ossoff moves to consolidate Democratic support. Though he’s one of the most vulnerable incumbents on the 2026 map, running in a state that Trump just narrowly captured, Republicans see him as a formidable contender.

He’s banked more than $15.4 million in campaign cash and tapped tens of thousands of donors this cycle. And he’s held multiple rallies, including one in Savannah this week that painted his potential GOP rivals as Trump enablers.

Allies of Dooley, the son of legendary University of Georgia football coach Vince Dooley, are confident he has an opening, particularly after the latest financial disclosures show there’s no runaway Republican front-runner.

U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter disclosed $4 million on hand after stroking himself a $2 million check. And Insurance Commissioner John King reported roughly $450,000 in his coffers.

Still, Dooley’s possible candidacy raises a question about whether a political newcomer with no public record on hot-button issues can win the support of Republican primary voters who prize loyalty to the president.