U.S. Rep. Mike Collins and former football coach Derek Dooley will advance to the June 16 runoff in the Republican primary for Georgia’s U.S. Senate seat.
U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, the third-place finisher, called both opponents to concede late Tuesday.
Collins, R-Jackson, told the crowd gathered at his watch party in his hometown that he is ready to take on the incumbent, Democrat Jon Ossoff, in November.
“The suburban and independent voters, they just want results,” Collins said. “They want somebody to go to Washington to deliver for them, and I have delivered. You don’t beat Jon Ossoff with no record. You win by having a record of results.”
Credit: Daniel Varnado/For the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Credit: Daniel Varnado/For the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
But Dooley, speaking from his watch party in the Battery, said it was he who is best positioned to beat Ossoff.
“A vote for Mike Collins is a vote for Jon Ossoff for the next six years,” he told the crowd. “The vote for me is new leadership in the U.S. Senate.”
Dooley campaigned often alongside Gov. Brian Kemp and first lady Marty Kemp, a longtime friend who backed him from the start.
He told voters that, as a political newcomer, he does not have some of the baggage Collins carries and would be the best match against Ossoff, who is considered a rising star in the Democratic primary.
Kemp’s endorsement of Dooley appeared to factor heavily with undecided voters in the race. President Donald Trump chose not to endorse any of the candidates in the primary.
Two other candidates, John Coyne and Jonathan McColumn, were never serious contenders and received a small percentage of the vote.
Collins was always considered the front-runner in the race, given his lead in polls and fundraising. The owner of a trucking company and son of late Georgia Congressman Mac Collins, he decided to run for the Senate instead of seeking a third term in the U.S. House.
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Collins has had success getting bills signed into law, including serving as lead sponsor of the Laken Riley Act, an immigration enforcement bill that became the first piece of legislation signed by Trump in his second term. And Collins earned support among his House colleagues by traveling to back their campaigns in recent years, leading many of them to return the favor by supporting his Senate campaign.
His cheeky and sometimes controversial social media posts earned him street cred among young conservatives, but have been marked by critics as occasionally racist and sexist.
But the biggest mark on Collins’ record came last fall when he and his top political consultant were named as targets of ethics probes into the hiring of an intern who other staffers said earned a check without doing any work. That investigation is still pending.
Dooley, the former University of Tennessee football coach and son of famed Georgia coach Vince Dooley, was handpicked by Kemp after the governor decided not to run for the seat himself.
Kemp has said he did not think Carter or Collins could win in November in a swing state like Georgia. Dooley, who has no political baggage, can run as an outsider, he said.
Dooley has never served in public office before and did not vote in any elections for roughly 20 years. He said that changed during President Joe Biden’s administration as he became increasingly frustrated by policies under a Democratic president.
This article has been updated to clarify Kemp’s comments on Dooley’s chances in a general election.
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