By Maria Saporta

During his first talk to the Rotary Club of Atlanta since he was elected governor in 2018, Gov. Brian Kemp evaded the question about whether he would be running for the U.S. Senate in 2026.

In a question-and-answer session with Atlanta Federal Reserve President Raphael Bostic, Kemp laughed when he was asked if he will run for U.S. Senate in 2026 against U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff (D-Georgia).

“At least you didn’t ask if I was going to run for president,” joked Kemp, who has been floated as a possible candidate for president or vice president in 2024 by national political observers.

“My answer on the U.S. Senate question in 2026 is we need to stay focused, in my opinion, on 2024 and not worry about 2026,” Kemp said at Monday’s meeting. “So that’s what the First Lady and I are doing. We’re staying focused on 2024. And we don’t have the U.S. Senate race in 2024.”

Kemp was accompanied by his wife, Marty Kemp, who actually beat her husband in speaking to the Atlanta Rotary. She was part of a panel on June 26 on human trafficking, an issue she has been working on since she became First Lady.

In introducing the governor, Rotarian Steve Hennessy welcomed Marty Kemp back to the club. 

“You are now part of the rich history of the 110-year-old club,” said Hennessy, referring to the Club’s founding on Aug. 1, 1913. “You are the first First Lady to speak at Atlanta Rotary before her husband.”

Hennessy then made a point to mention Rotary likes to have both the governor and the mayor of Atlanta speak to the Club on an annual basis, obviously hoping Kemp would return next year.

Kemp was warmly received by an overflowing crowd July 31 at the Rotary Club meeting at the Loudermilk Center. Kemp gave an overview of his administration’s successes, singling out Georgia Tech…