The race to find the Republican candidate who will take on Sen. Jon Ossoff in Georgia is not over yet, as the GOP Senate primary now heads to a runoff election.
Rep. Mike Collins and former college football coach Derek Dooley are set to face each other in a June 16 runoff after a competitive Republican primary failed to produce a final nominee.
The winner will move on to challenge Ossoff, a Georgia Democrat, in a race expected to carry major national importance for control of the U.S. Senate.
Georgia has become one of the most closely watched battleground states in the country after several tight election cycles and major Senate contests.
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The primary included Collins, Dooley and Rep. Buddy Carter, creating a bruising intraparty fight between an experienced lawmaker, a political outsider and another sitting Republican member of Congress.
President Donald Trump has so far avoided taking sides in the runoff, leaving Republican voters and national conservative groups to watch closely for any possible endorsement.
Collins enters the runoff with congressional experience and support from voters looking for a proven conservative lawmaker.
Dooley, meanwhile, is campaigning as a political outsider with a well-known name in Georgia and a background in college football.
Republicans believe the seat could be a key pickup opportunity if they can unite behind the eventual nominee and build momentum heading into the general election.
Democrats are expected to defend Ossoff aggressively, as his seat could help determine which party controls the Senate.
The runoff is likely to attract major spending, national attention and sharp messaging from both Republican campaigns.
For now, Georgia Republicans face another round of campaigning before deciding who will lead the party’s effort to unseat Ossoff.
Democrat Jon Ossoff skates as Georgia GOP Senate primary drags on to runoff election https://t.co/lIaAMkXYwf pic.twitter.com/OaF3WeDhAV
— New York Post (@nypost) May 20, 2026
