Georgia Senate race tests Gov. Brian Kemp’s sway in the Republican Party

With his time in the governor’s office coming to an end, Brian Kemp has asked Georgia voters for “one last thing.”“Send Derek Dooley to the U.S.

With his time in the governor’s office coming to an end, Brian Kemp has asked Georgia voters for “one last thing.”

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“Send Derek Dooley to the U.S. Senate,” the two-term Republican implored viewers in a new TV ad from his PAC that hit the airwaves this week, yet another sign that Kemp is putting all of his chips behind his preferred candidate ahead of Tuesday’s GOP Senate primary.

The question for Kemp is whether Dooley, a former college football coach and political novice, is a risky bet — or one that emphasizes his sway in one of the nation’s most tightly divided swing states, and perhaps beyond.