Scoop: Thune quietly met with Brian Kemp on Georgia Senate race

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) met with Gov. Brian Kemp on Monday as the GOP lobbies the Georgia Republican to run for Senate in 2026.Why it matters: Georgia is a top pickup opportunity for Senate Republicans, and the popular Kemp is seen as the party's strongest potential candidate.Thune was joined at Monday's lunch in Atlanta by NRSC Chair Tim Scott (R-S.C.), according to two people familiar with the meeting.Kemp's wife, Marty, also attended.The intrigue: Kemp has a complicated relationship with President Trump, who attacked the governor for not overturning his 2020 election defeat in Georgia. But the Trump-Kemp relationship appears to be on the mend. The two appeared side-by-side during the 2024 election, and Kemp invited Trump to appear at a recent Republican Governors Association meeting.Between the lines: Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff is a formidable fundraiser, and has been cited by the NRSC as an example of how Democrats are drawing large sums ahead of the midterm election.Kemp, a two-term governor, also has a major fundraising network and an established grassroots operation.Scott told Axios in March he expects Kemp to make a decision soon, and that the party has been in touch with other possible candidates in the event the governor doesn't run."If [Kemp] runs, he wins," Scott said.Go deeper: The making of Brian Kemp

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) met with Gov.

Brian Kemp on Monday as the GOP lobbies the Georgia Republican to run for Senate in 2026.Why it matters: Georgia is a top pickup opportunity for Senate Republicans, and the popular Kemp is seen as the party's strongest potential candidate.Thune was joined at Monday's lunch in Atlanta by NRSC Chair Tim Scott (R-S.

C.), according to two people familiar with the meeting.Kemp's wife, Marty, also attended.

The intrigue: Kemp has a complicated relationship with President Trump, who attacked the governor for not overturning his 2020 election defeat in Georgia. But the Trump-Kemp relationship appears to be on the mend. The two appeared side-by-side during the 2024 election, and Kemp invited Trump to appear at a recent Republican Governors Association meeting.

Between the lines: Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff is a formidable fundraiser, and has been cited by the NRSC as an example of how Democrats are drawing large sums ahead of the midterm election.Kemp, a two-term governor, also has a major fundraising network and an established grassroots operation.

Scott told Axios in March he expects Kemp to make a decision soon, and that the party has been in touch with other possible candidates in the event the governor doesn't run."If [Kemp] runs, he wins," Scott said.Go deeper: The making of Brian Kemp.