Washington — President Trump on Sunday threw his support behind Rep. Mike Collins in Georgia’s Republican Senate runoff, stepping into the race just days before voters choose who will challenge Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff.
In a Truth Social post early Sunday, Mr. Trump praised Collins as “a true Friend, Fighter, and WARRIOR,” adding that he has his “Complete and Total Endorsement” to become Georgia’s next U.S. senator.
Collins will face former college football coach Derek Dooley in Tuesday’s runoff after no Republican candidate won more than 50% in last month’s primary. The contest will determine the GOP nominee in one of the nation’s most closely watched Senate races, a Georgia showdown that could help decide control of the chamber.
Ossoff is the only Democratic senator up for reelection in a state carried by the president in 2024, making Georgia an appealing pickup target for Republicans. Still, the party’s failure so far to unite behind a single contender has added uncertainty to its effort to flip the seat.
The runoff took shape after a third Republican candidate, Rep. Buddy Carter, was knocked out in the primary. Collins, a trucking company owner who has served in the House since 2023, led the field with nearly 41% of the vote. Dooley, an attorney and former University of Tennessee football coach, is the son of legendary University of Georgia coach Vince Dooley and received about 30%.
Collins has cast himself as an unwavering Trump ally throughout the race. Dooley, by contrast, has been less eager to align himself closely with Mr. Trump, instead presenting himself as a political outsider while saying he would work with the president on behalf of Georgians.
Dooley said on Sunday that he has “great respect for President Trump” and looks forward to working with him. He wrote on X that “the most important endorsement is that of the Georgia people,” while arguing that he’s better situated to beat Ossoff.
Mr. Trump’s endorsement sets up a proxy battle with Gov. Brian Kemp, who threw his support, and his formidable state political operation, behind Dooley. The president and Kemp have been at odds since the 2020 election when Kemp resisted Trump’s efforts to intervene in Georgia’s presidential election results.
In his post on Truth Social Sunday, Mr. Trump said “I don’t know Derek Dooley, and neither does anyone else, but he seems like a nice person,” before mentioning the 2020 election results in Georgia.
The president lauded Collins as a “very successful Businessman” who he said is “always fighting tirelessly for our America First Agenda.”
