Trump-Endorsed Candidate Wins Georgia Republican Senate Runoff

Mike Collins won Georgia's Republican Senate runoff Tuesday, defeating Derek Dooley to become the party's nominee against Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff in November.

Dooley advanced from the May primary after neither reached the required 50 percent threshold. Collins received nearly 41 percent of the vote while Dooley received 30 percent. President Trump endorsed Collins on June 14, 2026, four days before voters decided the nomination. The endorsement came after Gov. Brian Kemp had backed Dooley.

The Associated Press called the race for Collins at 8:37 p.m.

Tuesday with 56 percent of the vote counted. Collins led throughout the evening as results came in.

Collins has represented a Georgia congressional district in the U.S. House since 2022 and owns a trucking company. He sponsored the Laken Riley Act requiring detention of immigrants charged with certain crimes. Dooley previously served as head football coach at the University of Tennessee.

Reports indicated the House Ethics Committee investigated allegations that Collins paid an intern who did not perform work. Collins denied wrongdoing and retained the bet on his campaign staff after the inquiry began. He later fired the staffer after the person posted on social media mocking the wife of a Dooley campaign advisor.

Accusations also surfaced that Dooley was involved in a pay-to-play matter involving his brother and Gov. Kemp. Democratic legislators requested an independent investigation into the allegations.