The Republican primary for U.S. Senate in Georgia has advanced toward a June 16 runoff, with Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA) securing his place in the second round. However, it remains unclear who Collins will face, as Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA) and former college football coach Derek Dooley are both competing for the nomination.
The race has been viewed as a key pickup opportunity for Republicans to flip a Senate seat in Georgia, where President Trump won in 2024. Ossoff is the sole Democrat seeking reelection in the state. Collins, 58, and Carter, 68, were both candidates for the GOP nomination. Collins, who owns a trucking business and has represented Georgia in the House since 2023, maintains strong ties to the president. Carter, previously mayor of Pooler, Georgia, and a member of the state legislature, also aligns closely with the presidency.
Dooley, 57, an attorney and former football coach at the University of Tennessee, is the son of legendary University of Georgia football coach Vince Dooley. He was endorsed by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp but has positioned himself as a political outsider and has not embraced the president to the same extent as Collins and Carter.
The candidates’ lone Senate debate featured intense squabbling between Collins and Carter over ethics allegations. Carter criticized Collins for allegedly hiring an intern who had a relationship with a top aide and did not perform work. Collins responded by labeling Carter a “career politician” and claiming his career is “littered with complaints, crooked land deals.”
Georgia remains a critical target for Republican pickups, though the party faces challenges in unifying behind one candidate. A pre-primary campaign report filed with the Federal Election Commission shows Ossoff has accumulated $32.5 million.