While President-elect Donald Trump endorsed a primary challenge to Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr in 2022, the attorney general said Thursday his 2026 campaign for governor will not “be anti-anybody.” He also downplayed the significance of endorsements to Georgia voters.
Carr made the remarks to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, which reported the attorney general said he planned to run a positive campaign for governor after becoming the first candidate to declare his candidacy in November.
“In 2026, I’m going to be a pro-Chris Carr candidate,” he told the outlet. Carr said this will involve, “Focusing on jobs and public safety is what I believe has built this state… All I can do is focus on me and focus on those 12 million Georgians.”
The outlet reported Carr similarly downplayed the significance of political endorsements from figures like Trump.
“I think endorsements certainly matter to some people, but at the end of the day, what’s going to matter is who gets 50 plus 1 percent of the vote in Georgia in May of 2026,” Carr reportedly said. “I’m not going to be anti-anybody. I’m going to be pro me.”
The attorney general also weighed in on the Georgia criminal charges levied against Trump by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis over his contest of the 2020 election results, telling AJC, “it’s happening on both sides of the aisle,” politically.
“One of the things we need to do in politics is stay in our lane,” Carr reportedly said. “I would just suggest it is not going to serve our nation well if we go after our political enemies if we don’t like what they’ve done, in office or not.”
Carr additionally told the outlet that his candidacy represents a continuation of Governor Brian Kemp’s style of governance, echoing the language the attorney general used when declaring his candidacy last month, when he said represents, “the legacy of Brian Kemp, Nathan Deal and Sonny Perdue.”
Though Carr was the first to declare his candidacy, pundits speculate other Republicans could enter the race. These include Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones, who was endorsed by Trump in 2022, and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who feuded with Trump during the contest of the 2020 election results.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “AG Chriss Carr” by AG Chris Carr.
