Georgia Republican Senate hopefuls Derek Dooley and Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.) are dominating the conversation before they’ve even entered the primary for a chance to unseat Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.).
Both candidates are expected to jump into the race during the coming weeks. And with some Republicans unsatisfied with the current crop of contenders, the entry of Dooley and Collins into the fray could set up a proxy fight for the future of the Georgia GOP.
Dooley, a former college football coach with no political experience, represents the Gov. Brian Kemp wing of the party. Collins — a conservative hardliner who’s served in Congress since 2023 — is closer to the MAGA movement.
Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.) and Georgia Insurance Commissioner John King are the other major candidates in the race. Carter has kicked off his campaign by dumping in millions of his own money into ads branding himself as a “MAGA warrior.”
Dooley is getting hit constantly with opposition research dumps questioning his support for President Donald Trump and his relationship with the Republican Party. The Washington Examiner reported this week that Dooley didn’t vote in numerous presidential elections, never donated to Trump and didn’t register as a Republican in a number of states.
Trump vs. Kemp? The Senate primary could potentially pit Trump’s allies against Kemp’s circle if both candidates enter the race. Most Georgia Republicans are hoping Trump and Kemp, who last met in May to discuss the primary, will coalesce behind the same candidate.
Dooley’s team says the coach’s status as a political outsider is valuable. Crucially, a number of top Kemp advisers have signed onto Dooley’s camp as consultants, lending an extra air of credibility to the football coach’s effort.
But some Georgia Republicans say the unknown quantity of Dooley’s political chops is worrying.
“I don’t know him at all,” Collins told us about Dooley. “I’ve never met him.”
Collins, the son of former Rep. Mac Collins (R-Ga.) and the owner of a trucking business, attracted national attention as the main House sponsor of the Laken Riley Act.
Collins, who’s been teasing a Senate run for months, faces questions over his fundraising capacity and whether he can build a statewide team. But the Georgia Republican is closest to Trump’s movement among the potential contenders and has talked to the White House about running.
It’s important to note that even as the Republican primary uncertainty reigns, the top Senate GOP super PAC is spending millions of dollars on the air to attack Ossoff for opposing the One Big Beautiful Bill.
