WHO COULD RUN

Here’s a look at some of the potential candidates who could emerge to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson:

REPUBLICANS

Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr: Carr was Isakson’s top aide before he became Georgia’s economic development commissioner.

U.S. Rep. Doug Collins: The congressman from Gainesville is a hero to Donald Trump’s supporters because of his defense of the president in congressional hearings.

Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan: The former Georgia Tech baseball star waged a long-shot bid for lieutenant governor last year — and scored an upset victory over the Republican favorite before winning a narrow general election.

U.S. Rep. Drew Ferguson: Ferguson won a senior spot in House GOP leadership last year and is seen as one of the state’s most ambitious and energetic politicians.

U.S. Rep. Tom Graves: The former state lawmaker is the senior-most Republican in the Georgia delegation, and he’s transformed his reputation from a rabble-rousing bomb thrower to a more pragmatic politician.

Former U.S. Rep. Karen Handel: Handel might have one of the best-known Republican names in Georgia. She ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2010 and the U.S. Senate in 2014. She won the special election in the 6th Congressional District in 2017 but lost the seat last year to Democrat Lucy McBath.

Georgia House Speaker Pro Tem Jan Jones: The Milton lawmaker is an influential, if sometimes under-the-radar, force in every major legislative decision at the Gold Dome.

Former U.S. Rep. Jack Kingston: The exSavannah congressman was the runner-up to David Perdue in the 2014 GOP Senate runoff. He has transformed himself into a cable TV pundit — and Trump defender — since then.

Business executive Kelly Loeffler: After passing on a U.S. Senate run in 2014, Loeffler has stayed in the public spotlight as partowner of the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream and chief executive of Bakkt, a digital firm that’s a subsidiary to the Intercontinental Exchange.

U.S. Attorney BJay Pak: An ex-Gwinnett County lawmaker, Pak was tapped in 2017 to head the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the district that spans metro Atlanta and North Georgia.

Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue: The former Georgia governor was one of Kemp’s most significant allies in last year’s election.

DEMOCRATS

Former U.S. Rep. John Barrow: After losing a tight runoff in last year’s race for secretary of state, Barrow announced a bid for an open Georgia Supreme Court seat in 2020.

DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston: The top prosecutor in Georgia’s most Democratic stronghold has scored a string of headlines for her criminal justice stances. She’s said she won’t prosecute women under Georgia’s anti-abortion law.

Former gubernatorial nominee Jason Carter: A former state senator, Carter was the runner-up in the 2014 race against Gov. Nathan Deal. Carter, a grandson of former President Jimmy Carter, could benefit from the free-for-all format of the race.

State Sen. Jen Jordan: The Sandy Springs Democrat has emerged as a force in Georgia politics since flipping a Senate seat in a 2017 special election. She’s one of the sharpest critics of Georgia’s anti-abortion law.

Nonprofit executive Michelle Nunn:

The 2014 Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate, Nunn lost a centrist-friendly campaign against David Perdue.

Former 6th Congressional District candidate Jon Ossoff: The 32-year-old former congressional aide built a national name for himself in 2017’s blockbuster 6th Congressional District special election.

DeKalb County Chief Executive Michael Thurmond: The former state legislator was the first African American elected to a statewide office in Georgia without prior appointment, serving three stints as labor commissioner. He served as DeKalb’s school superintendent and easily won election in 2016 to be the county’s CEO.

The Rev. Raphael Warnock: The senior pastor of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s congregation, Ebenezer Baptist Church, flirted with a bid for the U.S. Senate in 2016 before opting against it.

Democratic Party of Georgia Chairwoman Nikema Williams: After years as a party activist and organizer, Williams won an Atlanta-based state Senate seat in 2017 and, less than two years later, was elected to lead the state party.

Former acting U.S. Attorney General Sally Quillian Yates: Yates became a household name overnight in January 2017 when, as the caretaker attorney general, she refused to enforce Trump’s travel ban. Trump swiftly fired her.