Georgia Republicans’ fight to challenge Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff will stretch into June after Rep. Mike Collins and former football coach Derek Dooley advanced to a runoff in one of the country’s most closely watched Senate races.
Collins led the May 19 primary with 40.5% of the vote, while Dooley finished second with 30.2%, edging out Rep. Buddy Carter, who took 25.2%. Jonathan McColumn and John Coyne trailed far behind. Georgia requires primary candidates to win a majority to avoid a runoff, sending Collins and Dooley to a June 16 rematch.
The result creates a sharp contrast for Republican voters. Collins, a trucking executive and sitting congressman, has pitched himself as the candidate with a conservative record in Washington. He authored the Laken Riley Act, the first law President Donald Trump signed in his second term, giving him a major immigration talking point against Ossoff.
Dooley is running as the outsider in the race, leaning on his football ties and the endorsement of Gov. Brian Kemp. The former University of Tennessee coach is the son of legendary University of Georgia coach Vince Dooley, and his campaign has emphasized term limits, banning congressional stock trading and cutting federal spending.
Trump did not endorse a candidate in the Senate primary, making the race a rare major Georgia Republican contest without a clear Trump lane. Collins, Dooley and Carter all argued they were best positioned to advance Trump’s agenda in Washington. (RELATED: Georgia Lieutenant Governor Race Heads To Runoffs In Both Parties)
The runoff gives both campaigns fresh vulnerabilities to exploit. Carter repeatedly attacked Collins over a House ethics probe tied to allegations involving Collins’ former chief of staff, while Dooley’s opponents have questioned his late arrival to politics after he did not vote in the 2016 or 2020 presidential elections.
Carter’s supporters could now become the decisive bloc. His 227,343 votes were more than enough to swing a close runoff, and both campaigns will likely spend the next month fighting over whether those voters prefer Collins’ congressional record or Dooley’s Kemp-backed electability pitch.
Ossoff had no Democratic primary challenger, leaving him free to prepare for November while Republicans spend another month battling each other. The race is a prime pickup opportunity for the GOP as Ossoff is the only Democratic senator running for reelection this year in a state Trump won in 2024. (RELATED: Keisha Lance Bottoms Clears Democratic Field For Georgia Governor)
