Standing outside Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia, Saturday, Gov. Brian Kemp endorsed former football coach Derek Dooley, a fellow Republican, to oust Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., in the state's 2026 U.S. Senate race.
Kemp made the announcement an hour before the Georgia Bulldogs kicked off their first game of the season, noting Dooley was the "one and only opportunity" to flip Ossoff's seat.
Dooley, who walked onto the University of Virginia football team and played four years as a receiver, later earned his law degree from the University of Georgia, where he started his 28-year coaching career as a graduate assistant.
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The former University of Tennessee coach and son of former UGA coach Vince Dooley coached in the NFL for almost a decade and in college football for nearly 20 years. He continues to work with Group of Five schools across the country.
Following Dooley's campaign launch, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spokesperson Maeve Coyle released a statement knocking his coaching career.
"The latest addition to Georgia's messy and chaotic GOP primary is a failed football coach who has only ever spoken out to cheerlead Medicaid cuts that hurt Georgians," Coyle wrote. "As this primary gets even more crowded and devolves into a proxy war between President Trump and Governor Kemp, Senator Ossoff is fighting for working families in Georgia and will hold his seat in 2026."
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Dooley tackled the claims on Saturday, claiming "leadership matters," FOX 5 Atlanta reported.
"I could tell you in the locker room right now, right down the road, it doesn't matter what your race is, what your income level is, what your politics [are], what your religion is," Dooley said. "It was about bringing people together. Leadership matters.
"I mean, look at our state. That's what great leadership looks like. And you look at our country right now. You took a guy who was an outsider, President [Donald] Trump, who came in and didn't accept business as usual."
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Kemp, a two-term governor, described Dooley as a "true political outsider," adding Ossoff's voting record does not reflect the state's values, leaving room for an upset.
"You cannot run from that kind of record, and that is why I think we have an opportunity to win this race," Kemp said.
Dooley said in a statement to Fox News Digital he is deeply honored to have the governor's support.
"Governor Kemp has led this state with strong leadership, integrity, and achieved historic accomplishments during truly unprecedented times in our state and nation," he wrote. "Georgians know him and trust him. I hope to bring that same leadership style focused on conservative results to the U.S. Senate by defeating Jon Ossoff next November.
"The Governor's support gives our campaign incredible momentum as we continue to earn support from hardworking Georgians all across our state."
Kemp's office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
