Former Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel this week joined an increasingly crowded field of Republican candidates seeking the U.S. Senate seat of the retiring Sen. Saxby Chambliss.
Handel, who mounted an unsuccessful bid for Georgia governor in 2010, said on Friday that she was running because The Peach State needed a “conservative Senator with the courage to take on the status quo,”
The Hill reports.
“The biggest problems we face today are in Washington, and that's where we so desperately need fresh thinking, bold solutions, and real leadership,” Handel said in a statement.
Three members of Georgia’s congressional delegation — Reps. Jack Kingston, Phil Gingrey and Paul Broun — are already campaigning for the Senate seat.
And Georgia business executive David Perdue, cousin of former GOP Gov. Sonny Perdue, earlier this week launched a Senate exploratory committee, the publication reports.
Handel made headlines when she resigned as vice president for policy at Susan G. Komen for the Cure after the breast cancer organization reversed a decision to cut funding for Planned Parenthood. She backed cutting the funds.
Democrats have yet to attract a candidate to the race, according to The Hill.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.