I decided to run for the U.S. Senate because this moment in history demands leaders who follow President Trump and Governor Kemp’s model of taking action and getting results.
The winning formula in Georgia starts with a candidate who represents the unity of our party. Someone with a statewide track record who appeals to backers of President Trump and Governor Kemp, as well as the regular folks across our state who pay taxes, raise and educate their kids, and proudly don a uniform to defend our nation.
I believe we’re a 48% Republican, 47% Democrat, and 5% swing voter state, so the next step is making sure we put forward a candidate who can also appeal to split-ticket voters.
At the risk of seeming self-serving, I think I am that candidate.
I served under President Trump. In 2017, I was the first senior military officer deployed to the southern border. I co-chaired his Georgia campaign in 2020. In 2024, I spoke at rallies and campaigned for the Trump-Vance ticket in English and Spanish, on TV, radio, and in-person.
I’ve also worked closely with my friend, Governor Kemp, on the big issues facing Georgia. In 2019, our governor asked me to step in as Insurance Commissioner to break the streak of arrests, convictions, and jail sentences by former commissioners. He asked me to clean up a demoralized and broken agency. The governor has referred to me as his “Swiss Army Knife” when it comes to problem solving.
I also know I can appeal to Democrats. A lot of them voted for me as Insurance Commissioner because they knew I had their backs against the big insurance companies and fraudsters. I’m not afraid of tough questions or campaigning in places that haven’t hosted a Republican in years, if ever. I speak Spanish, yes, but I also speak lawman, soldier, and problem solver. I do not speak bureaucratise, DEI, or panderer.
Further, my life story is only possible in America.
I was born and raised in Mexico, coming to Georgia at age 17. I joined the Atlanta Police Department as a beat cop and became chief of police in Doraville. I enlisted in the Army as a private and retired as a two-star major general. I’ve been shot, stabbed, and survived four IED explosions in service of my community and country. When Governor Kemp appointed me, I became the first Hispanic to hold statewide office in Georgia.
I can’t wait to put my experiences against Jon Ossoff. He’s a left-wing filmmaker and privileged elitist. He has no accomplishments or resume to speak of, outside of training to be a professional politician for years. Mission accomplished.
We also need a clear contrast between our candidate and Ossoff on the issues.
This one’s easy. All Jon Ossoff cares about are optics and keeping his far-left political base happy.
Ossoff voted against supporting Israel and for letting men play women’s sports. He’s never met a big spending government program he doesn’t love. With his opposition to President Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill, he’s trying to raise your taxes to pay for even more waste. When President Biden was in office, he refused to call out the invasion at our southern border and voted against border security bills in the Senate.
And by the way, while everyday Georgian saw Biden’s obvious decline and inability to serve another four years, Ossoff told us all that the president was “sharp, focused, impressive, formidable, and effective.” Politics was more important to him than the truth.
I’m his worst nightmare because I’m his complete opposite. I don’t care about optics — I care about results. And when it comes to how I’d vote compared to Jon Ossoff, California has had a third senator thanks to him. I’m running to be Georgia’s senator.
My votes will reflect our values: Support for border security, fiscal sanity, the rule of law, and common sense.
Finally, we need a candidate who can actually get things done in the Senate.
I know about bullets and budgets. I’ve cleaned up a big agency, managed a $2.92 billion budget for the infantry brigade combat team I led, and commanded Georgia’s finest sons and daughters in war zones around the world. It was my job to inspire them to do difficult and often dangerous things. As a cop, I've arrested the bad guys but stuck around to help good people survive tragedy and persevere.
When it comes to accomplishment, the best I can say for Jon Ossoff’s time in the Senate is that he’s sent a few strongly worded letters about the Post Office.
We can do better than that. I can do better than him.
From day one, I’ve said we need a candidate who works hard and earns support from President Trump and Governor Kemp. I’m making my case every single day. Our president and governor won Georgia because they mean what they say and do what they promise. My track record shows that I’m cut from the same cloth.
I have spent my life running towards tough problems and solving them, not introducing bills that go nowhere. I don’t owe my success to generational wealth or the well-connected — I owe it to hard work and earning it. Or, as my drill sergeant used to say, by knowing when it’s time to “shut up and color.”
If I win this election, I’ll become the first Hispanic to represent Georgia in the Senate. People have asked me what I think about that. The truth is, I don’t think about it much because I don’t dwell on labels or division. I just want to give Georgia back its voice in Washington and help President Trump drain, blow up, and pave over the Swamp that’s wasted our money for years.
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.