President Trump threw his backing behind Representative Mike Collins in the Republican Senate primary runoff in Georgia, dealing a significant boost to the congressman and dealing a setback to former Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley, who had sought the former president’s endorsement.
The endorsement positions Collins favorably as he aims to capture the nomination and challenge Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff, who represents one of the nation’s most competitive midterm battlegrounds. “Mike Collins is a true Friend, Fighter, and WARRIOR, who has been with us from the very beginning, and has my Complete and Total Endorsement to be your next United States Senator,” Trump wrote on Truth Social early Sunday, two days before the runoff.
Collins led Dooley by approximately 10 percentage points in the initial primary round in mid-May, which also featured another Trump-aligned candidate, Representative Buddy Carter. Current polling indicates Collins holds a head-to-head advantage over Dooley.
However, Dooley enjoys the backing of Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, a popular Republican figure, and state Republican strategists had anticipated a close contest. Trump’s endorsement, which has proven decisive across multiple Republican primary contests in recent weeks, could reshape those projections.
Collins, a trucking executive known for controversial social media activity, sponsors the first bill Trump signed upon returning to the presidency. His campaign has also enlisted key figures from Trump’s political operation, including strategist Tony Fabrizio and data analyst Tim Saler, who oversaw Trump’s 2024 campaign analytics.
Dooley attempted to win Trump’s favor through a White House meeting last summer and adopted a campaign slogan of “Georgia First,” echoing Trump’s “America First” messaging. Historically, Trump has gravitated toward sports personalities entering politics.
Kemp, who supported Dooley’s campaign, has had a strained relationship with Trump following his refusal to join efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. While Trump publicly criticized Kemp as recently as 2024, the two repaired their public rapport by Election Day. Kemp has actively invested in the race, appearing alongside Dooley at numerous campaign events throughout Georgia.
In his Truth Social post, Trump acknowledged Dooley “seems like a nice person” but also repeated false claims about winning Georgia in 2020, indirectly criticizing Dooley’s public statement that Trump lost Georgia in that election.