Rep. Mike Collins Wins GOP Georgia Runoff for U.S. Senate
Republican Congressman Mike Collins won Georgia's U.S. Senate primary runoff with 53.3 percent, defeating Derek Dooley to face incumbent Democrat Jon Ossoff in November's election.
According to Breitbart News, NBC News projected Collins’ victory just over an hour after polls closed on Tuesday, with the Georgia representative securing 53.3 percent of the vote compared to Dooley’s 46.7 percent when the race was called with less than 45 percent of ballots counted.
Collins, who represents Georgia’s 10th congressional district and owns a trucking company, received backing from President Donald Trump in the final days before the runoff. His opponent Derek Dooley, a former University of Tennessee football coach and first-time candidate, had the support of Georgia Governor Brian Kemp.
The runoff became necessary after the May 19 primary election failed to produce a candidate with more than 50 percent of the vote. Collins led that field with 40.5 percent, followed by Dooley at 30.2 percent and Representative Buddy Carter at 25.1 percent. Under Georgia election law, when no candidate reaches the 50 percent threshold, the top two finishers advance to a runoff.
Throughout the primary campaign, Collins maintained consistent polling advantages over his competitors. As election day approached, Dooley surged past Carter into second place, propelled by substantial advertising spending from establishment Republican donors.
The November general election against Ossoff is expected to be fiercely competitive. The Democratic incumbent has been identified as the most vulnerable Senate Democrat seeking reelection, though political observers note he appears to harbor presidential ambitions for 2028. Control of the Senate during the second half of Trump’s second term could hinge on the outcome in Georgia.
Polling data compiled by RealClear Polling ahead of the runoff indicated Collins poses a stronger challenge to Ossoff than Dooley would have. The surveys showed Ossoff leading Collins by just 2.8 points in a general election matchup, while projecting a larger 6.7-point advantage over Dooley.
President Trump withheld his endorsement until just before the runoff, ultimately backing Collins with praise for the congressman as a highly respected member who has supported him from the beginning.
In his endorsement, Trump criticized Dooley’s residency record and voting history, noting the challenger had lived outside Georgia for most of his life and failed to vote in the 2016 and 2020 elections. The president also took issue with Dooley’s acceptance of the 2020 Georgia election results, stating that facts have now proven he won the state by a substantial margin.
Trump has separately endorsed Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones in the Georgia gubernatorial race, where Jones is competing in his own runoff election Tuesday against billionaire Rick Jackson. That contest follows a Republican primary in which the pair defeated Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr.
With information from Breitbart News
