Republicans search for a backup plan in crucial Georgia Senate race

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp’s decision to pass on a Senate bid has top Republican officials scrambling to find a backup plan and avoid a divisive primary — or, at the very least, one divisive candidate.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp’s decision to pass on a Senate bid has top Republican officials scrambling to find a backup plan and avoid a divisive primary — or, at the very least, one divisive candidate.

There are growing concerns in Georgia GOP circles that if Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene becomes the Republican nominee to take on Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff, she could hurt the party’s chances to flip the seat, given her divisive reputation and rhetoric, seven GOP sources familiar with the matter told NBC News. Republicans view the battleground race as a key opportunity to expand their three-seat majority next year.

While a Kemp run would have essentially ended the primary, numerous potential candidates — including Greene — are now considering campaigns, setting up a potentially contentious nominating contest.

Yet while Republicans expect a crowded primary after Kemp, the party’s top pick, chose to stay out of the race, some said Kemp and President Donald Trump could still help winnow the field if they decide to pick a favorite.

A potentially crowded primary is “a concern,” a Georgia Republican strategist said. “But I also think that there’s a good chance that, again, the president and the governor end up getting on the same page and picking somebody.”