Group Tied To Brian Kemp Makes Bizarre Claim About Republicans Causing Shutdown
A political group linked to Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp appears to be using Democratic talking points to criticize two Republicans running for Senate in his state over the government shutdown.
Hardworking Georgians Inc., a non-tax-deductible organization backed by Kemp, released an ad Thursday blaming Georgia Republican Reps. Mike Collins and Buddy Carter — in addition to Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff — for shutting down the government in an effort to bolster their opponent, Republican Derek Dooley. The announcement, first reported by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, does not reveal that Collins and Carter both voted for a stopgap bill in September to keep the government funded. (RELATED: Democrats flip two statewide seats in red-leaning Georgia by landslides)
WATCH:
Shutdown politics seeps into Ga. Senate race: A Kemp-backed group supporting Republican Derek Dooley came out with an ad lumping Republicans Mike Collins and Buddy Carter with Democratic incumbent Jon Ossoff: “They all failed and shut down the government.” pic.twitter.com/KONtiLSnvT
–Greg Bluestein (@bluestein) November 6, 2025
“What do Mike Collins, Buddy Carter and Jon Ossoff have in common? They all failed and shut down the government,” the spot’s narrator says in the 15-second video.
“That’s what happens when you send career politicians to Washington,” the ad’s narrator continues. “To change Washington, we need an outsider. Derek Dooley for the U.S. Senate.”
Republicans view next year’s Georgia Senate race as one of their best opportunities in the midterm elections. Collins, Carter and Dooley are vying for the GOP nomination in a competitive primary to unseat Ossoff, who is widely seen as the most vulnerable Democratic incumbent running for re-election.
The ad’s claim directly contradicts Republicans’ messaging on the shutdown, which has placed the blame for the lack of funding squarely on Democrats. For 38 days, congressional Republicans and Trump have criticized Senate Democrats for refusing to fund the government until their health care policy demands are met.
Carter and Collins joined nearly all House Republicans in supporting a Trump-backed bill aimed at averting a government shutdown.
The House-passed legislation repeatedly failed to overcome filibusters by Senate Democrats. Ossoff has voted against the measure 14 times since late September.
Collins blasted the Kemp-linked nonprofit for “repeating the anti-Trump Democratic lie” that Republicans are to blame for the lack of funding.
“[I]If the governor’s team wants to spend Georgia donor money, my humble suggestion would be to use it to tell Georgians the truth about Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock…and not attack Republicans for their support of President Trump,” Collins wrote on X.
Ossoff’s campaign referred the Daily Caller News Foundation to the Georgia Democratic Party, which argued that the Kemp-related ad attacking Carter and Collins exposed Republican infighting.
“Brian Kemp’s latest attempt to bolster Derek Dooley, who failed and was fired, proves once again that Republicans are preparing for a long, nasty primary,” Devon Cruz, senior communications advisor for the Democratic Party of Georgia, told DCNF. “No matter who limps out of the primary, it is very clear that the eventual nominee will be badly bruised and beaten for the general election.”
Spokespeople for the Carter campaign, the Dooley campaign and the Kemp-linked group had no comment before publication.
Collins has consistently led primaries in polls, even though a large portion of Republican voters are still undecided.
An Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll released October 31 found Collins receiving 30% of likely support from Republican voters, followed by Carter with 20% support and Dooley registering 12% support. The survey of 1,000 likely GOP voters has a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points.
Kemp is the 2025 chairman of the Republican Governors Association and will leave office at the end of next year after serving two terms as governor. He rejected calls from national Republicans to challenge Ossoff earlier this year and helped recruit Dooley into the race.
Trump has yet to throw his support behind the Republican primary. The White House did not respond to a request for comment on the Kemp-backed ad before its release.
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