Op-Ed: Gen. John King: Why I'm running for Senate in Georgia
This week, I announced I’m running for the U.S. Senate in Georgia against Sen. Jon Ossoff in 2026. I’m doing this for a simple reason: President Donald Trump needs backup and Georgia needs a new senator.
Unlike politicians who talk about problems but never do anything to solve them, I’ve spent my life taking action and getting things done.
I was born and raised in Mexico, came here at 17, and began a four decade career in law enforcement. I started as a beat cop in Atlanta and went on to become the chief of police in Doraville, a small and diverse city northeast of Atlanta. Others talk in the abstract about fighting crime, I’ve fought crime personally and been shot and stabbed for my efforts.
As a young man, I also enlisted in the Army as a private. Two years ago, I retired as a two-star major general.
During my service, I had the honor of commanding some of the best and brightest soldiers Georgia and our country have to offer, in places like Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia, Africa, and even at our southern border during President Trump’s first term. Others talk about war and conflict. I’ve led men and women in uniform in war zones around the world. Others talk about securing the border. I’ve personally arrested and deported criminals here illegally.
Entering politics never crossed my mind, but in 2019, Gov. Brian Kemp asked me to clean up Georgia’s Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner. My appointment to the position made me the first Hispanic to hold statewide office in Georgia history, and in 2022 I became the first Hispanic to win statewide office in our state’s history.
During my time in office, we’ve done what we said we’d do. We’ve recovered more than $100 million for taxpayers, leveled millions in fines against big insurance companies, and made the agency work for Georgians again.
So, why run for the Senate now? As I see it, in Georgia we’re fortunate to have serious conservative leaders. We’ve tackled big issues, like tort reform. We’ve made tough spending decisions when needed and made our state the best to live, work, and raise a family.
The biggest problems for Georgia and America are being tackled in Washington right now. We have some amazing leaders and fighters on our side with President Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and their team. But Georgia doesn’t have anyone in that fight.
Jon Ossoff is a left-wing filmmaker who thinks secret, out of control swamp spending is a feature, not a bug, in the current system. He voted against serious border security proposals, against supporting Israel, and for letting men play women’s sports. Ossoff’s newest crusade is impeaching President Trump for a third time.
That’s not serious leadership. Ossoff’s antics are all about keeping his radical base happy, not delivering real results for working people.
We can do better than that. I can do better than him. That’s why I’m offering Georgians a different option: A lawman and soldier who knows the price of war, the importance of enforcing the law, and how to get things done.
John King is a retired two-star major general in the U.S. Army National Guard, a former police chief, and the first Hispanic elected statewide in Georgia history. He’s running for the U.S. Senate in 2026.
