Unearthed tape shows GOP sweating over Senate race behind closed doors: 'Guy's no slouch'

Publicly, Republicans have cast Georgia as one of their top opportunities to flip a Democratic-held Senate seat. But “behind closed doors,” they’ve tempered expectations of unseating Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA), citing the first-term senator’s competence and popularity,” The Washington Post reported Monday.

“I’m not feeling bullish about it,” said one GOP strategist, speaking with the Post on the condition of anonymity. “[Ossoff] has wisely avoided the temptation of going on cable news for six years and playing to the base for social media likes. I think he’s going to reap the benefits of that.”

Conservative groups have polled hypothetical matchups against Ossoff in the hopes of unseating the 39-year-old Democratic senator, who represents a state President Donald Trump won in 2024 by more than two percentage points. Privately, however, Republicans appear to be growing less hopeful of their chances to make ground against Ossoff.

“Look, this guy’s no slouch,” said Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA) to a crowd of Republicans in January, according to an audio recording obtained by the Post. “[Ossoff is] pretty sharp, he’s articulate, he’s young, he’s handsome, he talks well. You better have somebody who can go toe to toe with him.”

Republicans’ midterm election prospects have only grown more dire as Trump’s favorability has continued to slip among voters. Illinois Democratic primary elections last week saw voters race to the polls in unprecedented numbers, leading Democratic strategist Avivia Bowen to predict that Republicans may face a “rage turnout” from Democrats this fall.

Additionally, a recent NBC poll conducted between Feb. 27 and March 3 showed that Democrats carry a 6-point lead in taking back control of Congress, with Trump’s unprecedented unpopularity appearing to drag down GOP candidates nationwide.