Georgia Rep. Mike Collins is the GOP’s nominee to take on incumbent Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff in one of this year’s most closely watched Senate races.
Collins, boosted by a last-minute endorsement from President Donald Trump, defeated former football coach Derek Dooley to win the runoff Tuesday. The primary had turned into a messy proxy war between popular Gov. Brian Kemp, who championed Dooley’s bid, and Trump, who called Collins a “WARRIOR and WINNER!” on Truth Social.
Republicans will now pivot to a general election battle against Ossoff, who they fear will be hard to beat in November. The Democratic incumbent has spent months stockpiling cash and commanding national attention while Collins and Dooley have been locked in a costly and bitter primary fight.
Collins’ victory over Dooley is another notch in Trump’s endorsement record. Although the president did not weigh in until after the early voting period had ended, just days before the runoff, his backing was widely expected to help propel Collins to a first-place finish.
