President-elect Donald Trump has an affinity for winners, but he has handed out a handful of jobs in his administration to people who have one thing in common: losing Georgia Senate elections.
A quartet of former Republican Senate candidates from the Peach State have been nominated to Cabinet-level positions and ambassadorships, as is typical for an incoming president to reward failed candidates and supportive allies with jobs. Here are those four nominees and their attempts to represent Georgia in the Senate.
Doug Collins, a former congressman from the Peach State, unsuccessfully ran for the Senate in 2020 and has now been nominated to be secretary of Veterans Affairs.
“Doug is a Veteran himself, who currently serves our Nation as a Chaplain in the United States Air Force Reserve Command, and fought for our Country in the Iraq War. We must take care of our brave men and women in uniform, and Doug will be a great advocate for our Active Duty Servicemembers, Veterans, and Military Families to ensure they have the support they need. Thank you, Doug, for your willingness to serve our Country in this very important role!” Trump said in a statement announcing the appointment.
Collins ran in the special election for the remainder of Sen. Johnny Isakson’s (R-GA) term after he resigned from the Senate at the end of 2019 due to waning health.
In the November 2020 election, he finished third behind Republican Kelly Loeffler, who had been appointed as an interim replacement for Isakson in the Senate, and Democrat Raphael Warnock, but failed to advance to the January 2021 runoff. Collins finished with 19.95% of the vote, compared to Loeffler’s 25.91% and Warnock’s 32.9%.
Collins left the House of Representatives when his term ended in January 2021. Upon news of his nomination by Trump, he said he would “fight tirelessly to streamline and cut regulations in the VA, root out corruption, and ensure every veteran receives the benefits they’ve earned.”
Loeffler served as senator from Georgia from 2020 until January 2021, and earlier this month, Trump announced she would be his pick to lead the Small Business Administration.
“Kelly will bring her experience in business and Washington to reduce red tape and unleash opportunity for our Small Businesses to grow, innovate, and thrive. She will focus on ensuring that SBA is accountable to Taxpayers by cracking down on waste, fraud, and regulatory overreach,” Trump said in the statement announcing her nomination.
Trump also commended Loeffler’s time in the upper chamber of Congress, calling her a “tremendous fighter.”
Loeffler was appointed by Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA) to serve as senator after Isakson resigned until a special election could be held in November 2020. She began her term in the Senate on Jan. 6, 2020, and advanced to the runoff for the 2020 election, where she faced off against Warnock.
The Jan. 5, 2021, Georgia Senate runoff saw Warnock defeat Loeffler, 51%-49%. She left the Senate on Jan. 20, when Warnock was sworn into office.
After leaving the Senate, she was one of Trump’s top donors and was named to co-chair his inauguration committee for the Jan. 20, 2025, ceremony and auxiliary activities. Upon her nomination, Loeffler said she was “deeply honored” by the nomination.
Former Sen. David Perdue, unlike the other candidates, did win a Georgia Senate election, but lost his reelection bid in 2020. Trump named him to be his ambassador to China earlier this month.
“As a Fortune 500 CEO, who had a 40-year International business career, and served in the U.S. Senate, David brings valuable expertise to help build our relationship with China. He has lived in Singapore and Hong Kong and worked in Asia and China for much of his career,” Trump said in a statement nominating Perdue for the job.
“He will be instrumental in implementing my strategy to maintain Peace in the region, and a productive working relationship with China’s leaders. David has been a loyal supporter and friend, and I look forward to working with him in his new role!” he added.
Perdue was elected to the Senate in 2014 and won a plurality of the vote in the 2020 Senate election against Democrat Jon Ossoff, but because he fell below a majority, the race went to a runoff on Jan. 5, 2021. In the runoff, Ossoff defeated Perdue, 50.61%-49.39%, ousting the Republican from his seat.
Perdue ran against Kemp in the GOP primary for the 2022 Georgia gubernatorial election and received Trump’s backing over Kemp, who Trump had sparred with over unfounded claims regarding the 2020 election. Kemp handily defeated Perdue in the May 2022 primary 73.72%-21.78%.
The former senator said he was “truly honored” to accept the nomination after Trump made this announcement earlier this month.
“Having lived in Asia on two occasions, I understand the gravity of this responsibility and look forward to implementing President Trump’s strategy to make the world safe again and to represent the United States’ interests in China,” Perdue said in a post on X.
Herschel Walker, best known for his football career with the University of Georgia and in the NFL, was another failed Senate candidate in Georgia. He was nominated by Trump on Tuesday to be his ambassador to the Bahamas.
“During my First Term, he served as Co-Chair of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition. Herschel has traveled to over 400 Military installations around the World, removing the stigma surrounding mental health. He represented the United States at the 1992 Winter Olympics as a member of the U.S. bobsled team,” Trump said in a statement.
“Congratulations Herschel! You will make Georgia, and our entire Nation, proud, because we know you will always put AMERICA FIRST!” he added.
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Walker ran against Warnock in the 2022 Georgia Senate election, advancing to a December 2022 runoff, but ultimately lost 51.4%-48.6%. The former football player recently finished his degree from the University of Georgia, 42 years after he finished his college football career at the university, and graduated last week.
All of the positions the former Georgia Senate hopefuls have been nominated for will require confirmation by the chamber they all aspired to join: the U.S. Senate.
