Georgia’s Republican Senate primary is headed for a runoff after no candidate reached the threshold needed to secure the nomination to challenge Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff in November.
Under Georgia law, a candidate must secure more than 50% of the vote to secure the party’s nomination outright. GOP Rep. Mike Collins and former football coach Derek Dooley will advance to the June 16 runoff.
Ossoff is one of Republicans’ top targets as they seek to maintain their Senate majority in November, and the GOP will lose time fighting among themselves instead of focusing on the incumbent.
Nonetheless, Republicans currently hold a 53-47 Senate majority and see pickup opportunities in battleground states such as Georgia, New Hampshire and Michigan. Given the national political climate and President Donald Trump’s poll numbers, Democrats are newly energized about the possibility of capturing the Senate majority — and Ossoff is key to that hope.
Ossoff, first elected in 2020 after defeating Republican Sen. David Perdue, is seeking a second term while touting his work on infrastructure, voting rights and economic issues.
He has amassed a formidable financial advantage heading into the marquee Senate race, posting record-breaking fundraising numbers that Democrats hope will help protect one of the party’s most vulnerable seats in 2026. Ossoff raised roughly $14 million in the first quarter of 2026 and had more than $31 million cash on hand by the end of March, vastly outpacing every Republican contender in the race.
The race is expected to become one of the most expensive Senate races in the country, with outside groups pouring resources into Georgia.
Both the Republican and Democratic campaigns are also expected to aggressively target suburban Atlanta voters and turnout operations in rural parts of the state, where recent elections have often been decided by narrow margins.
The GOP field included Collins, Dooley, Rep. Buddy Carter, businessman John Coyne and retired Army officer Jonathan McColumn. The crowded contest highlighted divisions among Georgia Republicans over who is best positioned to unify conservatives and defeat Ossoff in November.
Collins launched an aggressive campaign against Ossoff, positioning himself as a staunch Trump ally and a conservative outsider focused on immigration, the economy and cultural issues.
He quickly emerged as one of the leading contenders in the crowded primary. Representing the 10th Congressional District, he entered the Senate race touting his business background as the owner of a trucking company and his strong support for Trump-era policies.
Recommended
He sponsored the Laken Riley Act, the first law Trump signed during his second term. It requires the detention of undocumented immigrants charged with theft or burglary.
Collins leaned heavily into his MAGA credentials on the campaign trail, arguing that Republicans need a fighter who can energize the party’s conservative base while appealing to working-class voters across Georgia. His campaign also sought to tie Ossoff to national Democratic leaders and criticized the senator over border security, inflation and government spending.
Collins campaigned across the state with what he called a “Big Rig Roadshow,” using his trucking industry background to connect with rural and blue-collar voters.
As the Republican primary became increasingly competitive, Collins emerged as one of the race’s highest-profile candidates due to the strong support he received from conservative activists, including endorsements from influential groups such as the Club for Growth.
Dooley, the son of legendary University of Georgia football coach Vince Dooley, gained traction when Gov. Brian Kemp declined to enter the Senate race and instead endorsed the former coach.
Dooley cast himself as an outsider capable of appealing to both traditional conservatives and swing voters frustrated with Washington.
His campaign focused on economic issues, border security and conservative social policies while attempting to appeal to both establishment Republicans and Trump-aligned voters. Though he has never held elective office, Dooley argued that Republicans need a fresh face with executive leadership experience rather than another career politician to take on Ossoff.
He previously served as head coach at the University of Tennessee and Louisiana Tech before working as an assistant coach with the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Giants.
Ebony Davis is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW based in Washington, D.C. She previously worked at CNN as a campaign reporter covering elections and politics.