Mike Collins, a Republican US representative and trucking executive, won Georgia's GOP Senate primary runoff on Tuesday night, securing the Republican nomination to face Democrat Jon Ossoff this fall. Collins defeated former football coach Derek Dooley in a contest that tested the power of Donald Trump's endorsement in a competitive battleground state.
Collins will take on Ossoff, who has served in the Senate since 2021 and has emerged as a vocal critic of Trump's policies. The race shapes up as one of the year's marquee Senate contests, with both parties viewing Georgia as essential to their majority hopes.
The 52-year-old Collins has represented Georgia in the House since 2023. A self-described freedom caucus conservative with anti-abortion views, he has embraced a combative political style that includes defending rioters from January 6 and challenging the legitimacy of the 2020 election results. His father, Mac Collins, served in the House for nine years ending in 2002.
Dooley brought different credentials to the Republican field. The son of legendary University of Georgia football coach Vince Dooley, he earned a law degree from UGA and worked his way through the college coaching ranks before a stint at Tennessee that ended in three consecutive losing seasons and his firing. He carried the endorsement and financial backing of outgoing governor Brian Kemp, who had invested political capital in his candidacy.
The same evening, Georgia Republicans also selected Rick Jackson, a healthcare billionaire, to challenge Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms in the governor's race. Jackson defeated Burt Jones, a Trump-backed lieutenant governor, in a bruising campaign marked by libel litigation and federal legal challenges.
Author James Rodriguez: "Collins will test whether Trump's personal endorsement still moves primary voters after a tumultuous year, but Ossoff is no lightweight in a general election fight."
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