President Donald Trump on Tuesday endorsed Jim Kingston to succeed Buddy Carter as Coastal Georgia’s next congressman, ensuring that the scion of a prominent local political family will enter next month’s Republican Party primary as the candidate to beat.
In a 136-word post on Truth Social, the president’s social media platform, Trump described the 34-year-old Kingston as a “MAGA warrior,” as well as “a very successful Businessman, Civic Leader, and Conservative Activist” who has “dedicated his life to serving his community.”
Kingston is running for the congressional seat that his father, Jack Kingston, held for more than two decades. And in his post on Tuesday, Trump paid tribute to the older Kingston, calling him the “GREAT Former Congressman from Georgia,” adding: “He and his family are fierce advocates for our Movement to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
There was no immediate reaction to the Trump endorsement from Kingston’s rivals for the Republican nomination in next month’s party primary. Yet while not entirely unexpected, it was still surprising, given that those rivals — former Chatham County Commissioner Patrick Farrell, onetime gubernatorial candidate Kandiss Taylor, and military veterans Brian Montgomery, Krista Penn, and Eugene Yu — have all campaigned on a pledge to further Trump’s agenda in Washington if elected. To win the May 19 partisan primary and avoid a runoff for a spot on the November ballot, a candidate must win more than 50% of the votes cast.
Kingston was not the only candidate in this year’s midterm that Trump endorsed Tuesday in a flurry of posts on Truth Social.
He also declared his support for Republican Houston Gaines in Georgia’s 10th Congressional District, along with congressional candidates in Nevada, Washington, New Mexico, Nebraska, Ohio, and California.
Winning is paramount to this president, and as his political woes mount due to rising prices and the Iran war, he evidently is keen to be seen as backing frontrunners in next month’s party primary and November’s general election.
Even before the younger Kingston announced his candidacy, political analysts rated the 1st Congressional District a safe Republican seat this year. Republicans have held it since the elder Kingston took office in 1993.
But capitalizing on his family name and his father’s contacts, Jim Kingston has built a formidable campaign war chest that by the end of last year totaled $1.38 million in cash on hand, according to the Federal Election Commission — more than double the amount amassed by the rest of the field combined.
He also boasts a bevy of influential supporters, including Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan, who stumped for him in Savannah last week.
This article appears in 2026 Elections: Candidate lists, news.
