Trump Endorses Rep. Collins in Georgia Senate GOP Runoff

President Donald Trump has endorsed Rep. Mike Collins over former college football coach Derek Dooley ahead of Tuesday’s Republican runoff election in a key Senate race.

“It is my Great Honor to endorse ‘MAGA’ Mike Collins, a Highly Respected Congressman who has been with me from the very beginning, and is running for the United States Senate in Georgia, a very special place to me, and where we just had a BIG Presidential Election Win with the Most Votes Received by any single Candidate in Georgia’s History, for any Election,” Trump said in June 14 a Truth Social post.

Collins cosponsored the Laken Riley Act, a bill that requires federal immigration authorities to detain without bond illegal immigrants who are arrested, charged, or convicted of certain crimes, such as theft, burglary, assaulting a law enforcement officer, or offenses causing death or serious bodily injury.

Collins thanked Trump for the endorsement.

Georgia Republicans will choose their U.S. Senate nominee on June 16 when Collins faces Dooley in a runoff election.

Collins advanced after leading the May 19 primary but fell short of the 50 percent needed to avoid a runoff. The winner will challenge Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) in November in one of the nation’s most closely watched Senate races. The race is expected to draw national attention as Republicans seek to flip the battleground-state Senate seat.

Dooley responded Sunday to Trump’s endorsement of Collins.

“I have great respect for President Trump and look forward to working with him in the Senate,” Dooley said in a post on X.

“As I’ve campaigned across this state, it’s clear Georgians want a political outsider who can actually beat Jon Ossoff, and someone who is committed to ending the careerism, corruption, and inaction from typical D.C. politicians like Mike Collins.

“I’m proud to have the strong support of Governor Brian Kemp, and we’re going to win on Tuesday because as I have said from the beginning the most important endorsement is that of the Georgia people,” Dooley said. “A vote for Mike Collins is a vote for Jon Ossoff—but a vote for me is a vote for the people of Georgia.”

Trump and Kemp have been at odds over the governor’s refusal to challenge the 2020 election results in his state.

In a December 2020 post, Trump said that Kemp should resign from office and called him an “obstructionist who refuses to admit that we won Georgia, BIG!”

Georgia’s Senate seat has been closely contested in recent years.

In 2021, Ossoff defeated Republican David Perdue 50.6 percent to 49.4 percent in a runoff election after neither candidate secured a majority in the November 2020 general election. Ossoff’s victory helped Democrats gain control of the U.S. Senate.