Fewer fireworks, bigger stakes: Georgia GOP looks ahead to 2026

But the titanic struggles between mainstream Republicans and pro-Donald Trump forces that dominated past GOP conventions over the last decade has largely faded. Trump’s MAGA movement is firmly in control, and the squabbling is mostly over fringe issues.

Even the ultraconservative Georgia Republican Assembly, long the thorn in the side of the state GOP, is now part of its foundation. About two-thirds of the candidates running for leadership posts this weekend are members of the far-right organization, and several are expected to win.

Nowhere is the new détente clearer than in the evolving relationship between Trump and Kemp. Not only has their once-bitter feud cooled, but the two are now quietly working to back a consensus candidate to challenge Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff in 2026.

Still, flashpoints remain. Activists are gathering as the alliance between Trump and billionaire Elon Musk collapsed into a messy public quarrel that could threaten the president’s signature domestic policy initiative and complicate the GOP’s hopes in the midterms.

And efforts to purge moderates from the party haven’t disappeared, though some far-right provocateurs are meeting increasing resistance from GOP leaders.

Credit: NATRICE MILLER

Credit: NATRICE MILLER

After David Cross, an election conspiracist running for Georgia GOP chair, circulated an antisemitic conspiracy theory, a roster of influential conservatives swiftly condemned him.

“Many of the divisions in the party are reconciled, and Trump and Kemp both have roles to play,” said Jason Shepherd, the former head of the Cobb GOP. “Now the bigger fight is over who will control the apparatus.”

‘DOGE the GOP’

That internal fight comes to a head this weekend, as Cross challenges Georgia GOP Chair Josh McKoon — a former firebrand state senator who once styled himself as an antiestablishment outsider.

Now, McKoon is firmly in the party’s establishment, with backing from grassroots conservatives and the GOP elite. All nine Republican members of Georgia’s congressional delegation support him. So does Trump, who recently praised McKoon for doing a “fantastic job.”

In his first term as chair, McKoon has tried to dial down the drama. He hasn’t boosted recent attempts to rebuke House Speaker Jon Burns and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.

And he helped narrow the gap between MAGA loyalists and traditional conservatives. It was McKoon, notably, who helped broker a truce with Kemp at the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee — something unimaginable just a few years ago.

As he campaigns for another term, he boasts of steering millions in contributions to pay the legal bills for party members charged in Fulton County’s election interference case.

Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC

Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC

And McKoon touts the GOP’s successes on his watch, including Trump’s victory last year in Georgia, as he frames the party’s 2026 stakes: Ossoff’s Senate seat, every statewide constitutional office and control of the Georgia House.

“You don’t fire the head coach who wins the Super Bowl,” said McKoon.

Cross, by contrast, is running on a wrecking-ball platform he said would restore trust in the organization. He told activists he plans to “DOGE the GOP” — a reference to Trump’s call to dismantle and downsize the federal government.

“We have a party that’s just treading water right now when we should be building on Trump’s momentum,” said Cross. “2026 is coming fast.”

That election, of course, will also loom large during the convention as Republican candidates for congressional and statewide office take turns at the stage to pressure-test their messages before devoted activists.

There will still be flashes of drama, including a slate of symbolic resolutions on hot-button issues that could stoke tensions, like one seeking to block Raffensperger from qualifying as a Republican. But much of the fire-and-fury of past conventions appears to have cooled thanks to Trump’s victory.

“I think the temperature is just going to be lower. I doubt there will be many fireworks,” said Jeff Hood, a longtime Oconee activist.

“Trump’s the president again, and even his skeptics are lined up behind him. It feels like the party is in a good place, but you can’t stop working.”