ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - Buddy Carter, the coastal Georgia Republican congressman who hopes to become the state’s newest U.S. senator, has nominated President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize.

In a June 24, 2025, letter to Jørgen Watne Frydnes, who chairs the Norwegian Nobel Committee in Oslo, Norway, Carter cited the president’s “extraordinary and historic role in brokering an end to the armed conflict between Israel and Iran and preventing the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism from obtaining the most lethal weapon on the planet.”

Carter, who has billed himself as a “MAGA warrior,” was the first GOP candidate who announced a bid to challenge U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff in his 2026 reelection bid. Ossoff, a Democrat, has been targeted as a top Republican priority in next year’s midterm elections.

Carter, along with Georgia Insurance and Fire Commissioner John King, both entered the race after Gov. Brian Kemp - who had been heavily courted by top GOP officials to enter the race - declined.

U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene also made national headlines when she opted not to enter the contest.

“In recent weeks, the world stood on the precipice of a dangerous and potentially region destabilizing war,” Carter wrote. “Yet in the face of this crisis, President Trump took bold action to ultimately champion peace through strength and facilitate a ceasefire framework that brought hostilities to a halt.

“In a statement that has since reverberated around the globe, President Trump announced the terms of a complete and total ceasefire agreement, commending both Israel and Iran for their courage to end the war,” Carter’s letter said. “His message of mutual respect and peace will now result in a full cessation of military activity, no further escalation, and the preservation of thousands, if not millions, of lives throughout the Middle East and around the globe.”

On Tuesday, President Trump said a ceasefire between Iran and Israel was “in effect,” after expressing deep frustration with both sides for violating the agreement he brokered.

Israel earlier Tuesday accused Iran of launching missiles into its airspace after the truce was supposed to take effect. The Iranian military denied firing on Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office later said he held off on a tougher strike against Iran after speaking to Trump.

“President Trump’s influence was instrumental in forging a swift agreement that many believed to be impossible,” Carter wrote. “President Trump also took bold, decisive actions to halt Iran’s nuclear ambitions and ensure that the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism remains incapable of acquiring a nuclear weapon. His leadership at this moment exemplifies the very ideals that the Nobel Peace Prize seeks to recognize: the pursuit of peace, the prevention of war, and the advancement of international harmony.”

Carter, who was elected to Congress in 2014, represents a district based in Savannah and includes most of Georgia’s coastal south. He served as a Georgia state representative from 2005 to 2009, and a state senator from 2009 to 2014.

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