Donald Trump Endorses Rep. Mike Collins in Georgia U.S. Senate Runoff vs. Derek Dooley

President Donald Trump endorsed Rep. Mike Collins in Georgia’s Republican U.S. Senate runoff against former football coach Derek Dooley, setting up a contest that will decide who challenges Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff in November.

“Trump endorses Collins in Georgia Senate runoff”

ABC News

Trump’s endorsement came in a Truth Social post early Sunday, when he wrote, “Mike Collins is a true Friend, Fighter, and WARRIOR, who has been with us from the very beginning, and has my Complete and Total Endorsement to be your next United States Senator,”.

ABC News

The runoff is scheduled for Tuesday after the May 19 primary left no GOP candidate above 50%, with Collins finishing first at 40% and Dooley at 30%.

Collins’ campaign has emphasized that he authored the Laken Riley Act, and NBC News reported a Collins TV ad during the runoff where Collins says, “I stand with President Trump,”.

Dooley, meanwhile, has had Gov. Brian Kemp’s support, and NBC News said Kemp and his wife have continued to join Dooley on the campaign trail ahead of the runoff.

The endorsement sharpened the fight between Trump and Kemp, with CNN describing Dooley as having the support of Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, whose relationship with Trump has been “complicated” over the years.

Trump’s post also attacked Ossoff as well as Dooley, and USA Today quoted Trump calling Ossoff “weak and pathetic” and “Reckless, Radical, and Dangerous.”

Al Jazeera

In the same NBC News coverage, Trump said, “I don’t know Derek Dooley, and neither does anyone else, but he seems like a nice person,” while also pointing to Dooley’s voting history.

Dooley responded by emphasizing outsider credentials and Kemp’s backing, and CNN reported Dooley argued that “Georgians want a political outsider who can actually beat Jon Ossoff.”

Collins, for his part, thanked Trump for the endorsement and told voters the race is about beating Ossoff, writing on X that “It starts with firing Jon Ossoff in November,” according to CNN.

The winner of Tuesday’s runoff will face Sen. Jon Ossoff, and NBC News said Ossoff is the only Democratic senator running for re-election in a state Trump won in 2024.

“President Donald Trump endorsed U”

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

CBS News framed the contest as a decision over who takes on Ossoff, noting that with Ossoff the sole Democrat seeking reelection in a state the president won in 2024, Republicans have been eyeing a pickup opportunity.

CNN said the Georgia seat could be key in determining the balance of power in the Senate for the remainder of Trump’s second term.

Georgia Recorder reported that Trump’s endorsement arrived just days before the runoff and that the winner would go on to face Ossoff in November, while also quoting Trump’s claim that Collins is “a true Friend, Fighter, and WARRIOR.”

In the same Georgia Recorder account, Ossoff’s campaign communications director Ellie Dougherty predicted Trump’s endorsement would not help Collins if he wins, saying, “After nearly a year-long brutally messy audition to win over the White House, Trump puppets Mike Collins and Derek Dooley have made themselves both unelectable.”