WOODSTOCK, Ga. (AP) 鈥� In the closing stretch of Georgia’s , Rep. Mike Collins celebrated his 11th-hour endorsement from Donald Trump on Sunday and dismissed any ideas that the Republican president’s stamp of approval is a risky bet in a potential showdown with Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff in November.
Trump disclosed his choice of Collins over former football coach Derek Dooley in a middle-of-the-night social media post that praised the second-term congressman for his loyalty.
鈥淚鈥檝e always said that President Trump has this just impeccable ability to put his thumb on the scale at the right time,鈥� Collins said at a campaign stop Sunday in the northern Atlanta exurbs.
The Republican candidates are competing Tuesday for the chance to unseat in one of the most closely watched campaigns in the November midterm elections. Dooley, a political newcomer, is , who has clashed with Trump in the past.
Collins called it 鈥渆ncouraging鈥� to have the president’s approval. Looking past Dooley to the potential matchup with Ossoff, the congressman said he planned to invited Trump to Georgia, despite the president’s
鈥淚鈥檇 love to have President Trump in Georgia every day, any day he wants to come down,鈥� Collins said.
Collins has been a stalwart Trump ally
Collins has backed Trump’s 鈥淢ake America Great Again鈥� movement since his first House campaign in 2022, and the president said in his announcement early Sunday on social media that the trucking company owner and second-term congressman 鈥渉as been with me from the very beginning鈥� and is a 鈥漷rue friend, fighter, and WARRIOR.”
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know Derek Dooley, and neither does anyone else, but he seems like a nice person,鈥� Trump wrote, while noting that Dooley did not vote in 2016 or 2020, when Trump was on the ballot. Dooley has acknowledged but says he did vote for Trump in 2024.
Trump also complained that Dooley 鈥� accurately 鈥� said Trump lost Georgia to Democrat Joe Biden in 2020, refusing to back the president’s lie that the election was stolen from him.
Collins has consistently echoed Trump’s false claims about his defeat and, on Sunday, called the 2020 election 鈥渓egitimately rigged,鈥� arguing that elections officials in Georgia and other states erred by expanding absentee voting and, in the congressman’s views, relaxing other election controls.
Collins led Dooley in the May 19 primary but neither surpassed 40%, leaving many Republican votes up for grabs. Trump鈥檚 endorsement has proved powerful as he shapes a party identity that is increasingly indistinguishable from his own.
Still, the president鈥檚 choice puts him at odds with more traditional Republicans, including Kemp. The endorsement is reminiscent of Trump鈥檚 decision to back Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton before his victory over U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in that state鈥檚 recent primary runoff.
Dooley maintains confidence despite Trump’s decision
Collins supporters cheered enthusiastically at the mention of Trump’s endorsement.
鈥淗e waited a little bit,鈥� said James Haddad, a 66-year-old retired engineer from Woodstock in Cherokee County. 鈥淏ut he’s studied the candidates, and he did the right thing. It’s going to help.鈥�
Dooley responded to the president’s pick by saying Georgia voters do not want 鈥渢ypical D.C. politicians like Mike Collins.鈥� In an X post, Dooley expressed confidence that he’d still win.
With Kemp as his top surrogate, Dooley argues that a first-time candidate has a better shot to defeat Ossoff, the only Democratic senator facing voters in a state Trump carried in 2024.
Kemp was the top choice of Senate Republican leaders looking for an Ossoff challenger. Kemp recruited Dooley, a childhood friend, to run instead.
Haddad said he voted for Kemp twice and appreciates the job he’s done but did not consider the outgoing governor’s opinion when deciding who to back for the Senate.
Collins did not mention Kemp on Sunday, paid little attention to Dooley and spent more time criticizing Ossoff.
鈥淗e doesn’t reflect the state of Georgia,鈥� he told supporters from the bed of a pickup truck. 鈥淗e doesn鈥檛 represent our values 鈥� matter of fact, he shouldn鈥檛 even be there.鈥�
Trump’s uneasy relationship with Kemp
Trump鈥檚 choice, and his insistence on bringing up the 2020 election again, puts the spotlight again on his uneasy relationship with Kemp. The governor resisted Trump’s pressure not to certify Biden鈥檚 presidential electors before the Electoral College convened in December of the election year.
Trump criticized Kemp in the years after and backed a primary challenger, former Sen. David Perdue, against the governor in 2022. Kemp trounced Perdue and coasted in the general election. By 2024, he and Trump managed a detente as Trump worked to return Georgia to the GOP presidential column.
But behind the scenes, it’s been clear the alliance was fragile and circumstantial. Kemp鈥檚 decision to recruit Dooley in the first place, with an emphasis on the need for a political outsider, has itself been a subtle rejection of Trump鈥檚 domination of the party.
In his many campaign stops alongside Dooley, Kemp has reminded voters that Republicans have not won a Senate election in Georgia since 2016 鈥� when Trump was first elected. Each time, the GOP nominee has fully embraced Trump.
The governor points to a trio of first-term Republican senators 鈥� Montana鈥檚 Tim Sheehy, Pennsylvania鈥檚 Dave McCormick and Ohio鈥檚 Bernie Moreno 鈥� who defeated Democratic incumbents in 2024 running as outsiders who still aligned with the president.
Collins pushed back at Kemp’s framing, saying his record in Washington shows he can be staunchly conservative, align with Trump and still court moderates voters who may not like the president.
The congressman sponsored the Laken Riley Act, that requires immigrants be detained when charged with certain crimes. Republicans believe the issue damages Ossoff because he initially voted against the measure before supporting it after Trump returned to the White House.
Collins noted that dozens of Democrats supported the measure.
鈥淏ipartisan is not a bad word,鈥� he said, arguing that metropolitan voters will reward him for results.
And even Kemp deviated from his Senate argument Sunday by endorsing Lt. Gov. Burt Jones in the GOP’s primary runoff for government. That choice puts Kemp on the side as Trump 鈥� who endorsed Jones last year 鈥� and against billionaire businessman Rick Jackson, who’s run as an outsider like Dooley.
Trump’s primary track record
Dooley鈥檚 and Kemp’s argument is matched against Trump鈥檚 winning streak inside the party. In a matter of weeks, Trump has celebrated victories over Republicans who did not pass his test of loyalty.
Cornyn lost to Paxton, U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky lost to Ed Gallrein, U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana failed to make a runoff and several Indiana state senators were defeated by challengers. Dooley needs Georgia to look more like Iowa, where Trump was unable to lift U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra to victory in the state’s gubernatorial primary.
Dooley has told voters he will 鈥渨ork with President Trump but fight for you.鈥�
He will campaign again Monday, and Kemp will be at his side.
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