Earl Carter

Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga., told Newsmax he believes his U.S. Senate candidacy is the strongest among the three Republicans in the Georgia race since he carries no "baggage."

Carter told "Bianca Across the Nation" on Tuesday, "I'm the one who can win. I don't have any baggage unlike [Rep.] Mike Collins[, R-Ga.,] who is under federal investigation for misusing taxpayers' funds [and] unlike Derek Dooley who's never voted for President [Donald] Trump."

Carter claimed he's the only Republican in the field who has a chance against incumbent Democrat Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga.

"They have baggage. The focus will not be on Jon Ossoff's voting record. It will be on their baggage," he said.

Carter said he hopes conservatives in Georgia realize how big the stakes are in Tuesday's voting. "I will be able to go toe-to-toe with him [Ossoff] and compare voting records with him."

"I'll be able to win," he added. "And that's what we've got to do. We've got to win."

When asked about the absence of an endorsement in the race from Trump, Carter explained that's basically already happened. "President Trump has referred to me as a MAGA warrior."

"He knows how hard I work [and] how much I support him. He sees who's on TV and who's carrying our message and who's delivering our message," he explained.

Carter said the plan to redistrict Georgia to reshape congressional voting districts is laudable but that the timetable is wrong. "It's never too late to do the right thing," he said.

"Yes, it would be inconvenient, but we need to do it now. Georgians should not have to suffer for the next two years under maps that were intentionally drawn with racial discrimination. And that's what they'll be doing if we don't redistrict now."

Ossoff, first elected in a 2021 runoff, is seen as a vulnerable Democrat incumbent this cycle, given Georgia's status as a closely divided state that has swung between parties in recent elections.

Despite that vulnerability, his early financial edge highlights the advantages of incumbency and a unified Democrat field, while Republicans remain locked in a competitive and unsettled primary.

Among GOP candidates, Collins led first-quarter fundraising with just over $1 million and reported roughly $2.1 million in cash on hand, far behind Ossoff's totals.

Carter raised $469,795 during the quarter but reported $3.7 million in the bank, aided in part by a $3 million personal loan to his campaign.

Dooley, a former University of Tennessee football coach, raised $663,502 and reported about $2.2 million in cash on hand, positioning himself as another contender in a crowded Republican field.

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