Trump endorses Mike Collins in Georgia Senate runoff

President Donald Trump endorsed Rep. Mike Collins (R., Ga.) early Sunday ahead of Tuesday’s runoff in Georgia’s GOP Senate primary, wading into a race that could determine control of the chamber this fall.

“Mike is strongly supported by the most Highly Respected MAGA Patriots in Georgia and beyond,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, touting his alignment with Collins on a number of policies. “He is a WARRIOR and WINNER!“

Collins, a second-term congressman and former trucking company executive, is facing Derek Dooley, a former football coach backed by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R), in the closely watched race. Collins captured more than 40% of the vote in the GOP primary, powered by support from across the state, to Dooley’s 30%, fueled by Atlanta and its suburbs.

The winner of the runoff will face Sen. Jon Ossoff (D., Ga.), a 39-year-old first-term senator who has amassed a large campaign war chest as he seeks reelection.

Republicans are eying Georgia as perhaps their best opportunity to pick up a Senate seat this fall, while Democrats are mobilizing to defend Ossoff as they try to flip control of the chamber. The GOP holds 53 of the Senate’s 100 seats, but Democrats hope Trump’s poor polling and voters’ resistance to some Republican policies will boost their party.

Trump’s involvement could help determine Tuesday’s runoff while injecting even more national significance into this fall’s general election. Ossoff has dismissed both Collins and Dooley as “Trump puppets.”

Collins, who has led Dooley in fundraising, argues that his experience as a trucking executive helps him connect with voters. He is also the son of former representative Mac Collins (R., Ga.), who served a dozen years in the House of Representatives.

Collins has faced criticism for his provocative social media posts, including some that promoted the conspiracy theory that President Joe Biden ordered the 2024 assassination attempt against then-candidate Trump in Butler, Pa.

Dooley has also portrayed Collins as scandal-plagued because he faces an ethics investigation over allegations that his then-chief of staff misused taxpayer money to pay a friend. In January, the House Ethics Committee said it was reviewing a complaint detailing the alleged abuse of funds, which Collins’ office has denied.

Kemp, the state’s popular governor, argues that Republicans should not nominate a controversial candidate, saying that approach has cost the party in the past. Herschel Walker, a former football star who faced Sen. Raphael Warnock (D., Ga.) in the 2022 Senate election, struggled to overcome scandals and lost that race by nearly three percentage points.

Trump’s endorsement of Collins follows his intervention in other Senate races, including his decision last month to endorse Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton against incumbent Sen. John Cornyn. Some GOP leaders had urged Trump to either sit out the race or support Cornyn to avoid a divisive nominee and a costly general election fight.

On Sunday, Trump criticized Dooley, a former state high school football star who received a law degree from the University of Georgia, where his father was the football coach for decades. Dooley has also served as the head coach at Louisiana Tech University and the University of Tennessee, and he has held other jobs at prominent college and pro football programs.

“I don’t know Derek Dooley, and neither does anyone else,” Trump wrote.