Collins defeats Dooley for GOP U.S. Senate nomination

Collins led in the polls throughout the primary and drew endorsements from state and local elected officials across Georgia despite several scandals, including a pending House Ethics Committee probe and problematic posts on social media. One such post targeting the wife of a Dooley operative led to Collins firing a top political aide responsible for the post.

Dooley called Collins to concede shortly after the race was called.

Dooley campaigned often alongside Gov. Brian Kemp and first lady Marty Kemp, longtime friends who backed him from the start. But he was a political unknown before the race who admitted to not paying much attention to politics until relatively recently.

State Rep. David Clark, R-Sugar Hill, said he supported Collins immediately after his campaign launched because he believes he has shown he can produce results in Washington.

“In a very short time in Congress, he got two bills passed, which says a lot because we know how it goes in D.C. right now,” Clark said. “He’s shown he can lead out of the gate and get stuff done for everyday Georgians and Americans.”

Ossoff released a statement Tuesday providing a preview of the attacks he will use against Collins during the lead up to the November election.

“Donald Trump’s handpicked candidate Mike Collins is a notorious bigot, antisemite, and extremist currently under federal investigation for the illegal misuse of tax dollars,” Ossoff posted on X. “Collins, who is only a congressman because his daddy was a congressman, voted to double health insurance premiums for more than a million Georgians, for the Iran War, and for the Trump tariffs.”