Collins and Dooley Advance to Georgia GOP Senate Runoff

Rep. Mike Collins and former college football coach Derek Dooley will advance to a June 16 runoff for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Georgia. The winner will face Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff, who is running unopposed in his party's primary.

News projects that Collins and Dooley finished as the top two vote-getters in Tuesday's primary. In Georgia, a runoff is required when no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote. Rep. Buddy Carter was eliminated after finishing outside the top two.

Collins, 58, has represented Georgia in the House since 2023 and owns a trucking business. Dooley, 57, is an attorney and former football coach at the University of Tennessee. Dooley is the son of legendary University of Georgia football coach Vince Dooley and received an endorsement from Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp.

The prolonged primary has delayed Republican efforts to focus on the general election against Ossoff, who has raised $14 million in the first quarter and holds more than $32 million in cash on hand. The Democratic Senate Majority PAC announced an initial $20 million investment in television ads in the state.

The Senate Leadership Fund, the leading Senate GOP super PAC, has announced an initial $44 million advertising investment overall. Georgia has not elected a Republican to the Senate since 2016.