Collins, Dooley Advance to GOP Runoff in Georgia Senate Primary
Mike Collins and Derek Dooley will compete in a June GOP runoff after neither reached 50% in Tuesday’s primary.
JACKSON, GEORGIA — Congressman Mike Collins and former University of Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley will face each other in a June 16 Republican runoff for Georgia’s U.S. Senate seat after neither candidate secured the required 50% of the vote in Tuesday’s primary.
The Associated Press called the race for Collins, who finished first with nearly 41% of the vote, and Dooley, who secured second place with about 30%. Congressman Buddy Carter trailed in third place with approximately 25%, according to unofficial results from the secretary of state’s office as of 11:30 p.m.
Runoff Set for June 16
The winner of the June runoff will challenge Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff in November’s general election. Since no Republican candidate reached the majority threshold, Georgia’s primary rules require the top two finishers to compete in the runoff election.
Collins, the founder and CEO of a trucking company who was first elected to Congress in 2022, is the son of former U.S. Rep. Mac Collins, who served from 1993 until 2005. Speaking to supporters in his hometown of Jackson after the AP called the race, Collins characterized both his primary opponent and general election challenger.
Collins Targets Opponents in Victory Speech
“When I signed up for this, I knew it was going to be tough,” Collins said. “I knew it would be tough to run against an incumbent U.S. senator, but y’all, what I didn’t know is that I was going to have to face an incumbent governor in the primary first. But now listen, looking at the results tonight, it shows that nominees are not picked on West Paces Ferry. And in November, we’re going to show that Georgia senators are not picked by California and New York donors.”
Collins characterized Dooley as a puppet for outgoing Republican Gov. Brian Kemp and described Ossoff as an out-of-touch coastal elite during his election night remarks.
Three-Way Battle for Second Place
The race for second place between Dooley and Carter remained competitive throughout the evening, with Dooley ultimately securing his spot in the runoff. The former Tennessee football coach’s campaign positioned him as an outsider candidate despite facing criticism from Collins about his connections to the current governor.
The Republican primary attracted significant attention as the party seeks to challenge Ossoff, who won his seat in a 2021 special election runoff. The November general election will determine whether Republicans can flip the seat currently held by Democrats.
Early voting and absentee ballots contributed to the final tallies, with results continuing to be updated throughout election night. The secretary of state’s office will certify the official results in the coming days, but the margins were sufficient for the Associated Press to make its calls.
