Rep. Mike Collins won Georgia's Republican Senate runoff Tuesday, defeating former football coach Derek Dooley and securing the GOP nomination to challenge incumbent Democrat Sen. Jon Ossoff in one of the nation's most closely watched Senate races.
Newsmax and Decision Desk HQ called the race for Collins about an hour after polls closed. With about 56% of the vote totaled, Collins had 54.1% and Dooley had 45.9%.
Collins entered the runoff with momentum after finishing first in the May primary and received a late endorsement from President Donald Trump, who praised the congressman as a reliable supporter of the America First agenda.
Trump weighed in just days before the election, giving Collins a boost in a contest widely viewed as a test of the president's influence within Georgia Republican politics.
The race also highlighted a divide within the state GOP. Dooley, a former University of Tennessee football coach and son of legendary Georgia coach Vince Dooley, was backed by term-limited Gov. Brian Kemp and allies who argued he would be the strongest general-election candidate against Ossoff.
Collins, who represents Georgia's 10th Congressional District, campaigned as a conservative fighter aligned with Trump and emphasized border security, immigration enforcement and federal spending restraint. He pointed to his support for the Laken Riley Act and other immigration-related measures during the campaign.
With the runoff behind him, Collins now turns his attention to Ossoff, who is seeking a second term in the Senate. Republicans view the Georgia race as one of their top pickup opportunities in the 2026 midterm elections and a key contest in the fight for Senate control.
The race drew national attention and significant outside spending as Republicans sought to unite behind a challenger capable of defeating Ossoff in a state that has become one of the country's premier political battlegrounds.
Collins is expected to begin consolidating Republican support immediately as the general-election campaign moves into full swing.