U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, Derek Dooley make GOP Senate runoff

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — U.S. Rep. Mike Collins and Derek Dooley are headed to a runoff next month to determine who will face Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff this fall.

In Georgia’s May 19, 2026, primary, Collins and Dooley finished first and second, respectively. U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, who represented the state’s first congressional district, conceded the race and said he congratulated both Dooley and Carter.

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President Donald Trump had not made an endorsement in the race, but both Collins and Carter had positioned themselves as strong Trump supporters and MAGA Republicans.

Dooley, for his part, is seeking his first elective office, and used the endorsement of outgoing Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp to bolster his message of sending an outsider to Capitol Hill.

Collins was the author of the Laken Riley Act, named in honor of the slain nursing student and whose death at the hands of Jose Ibarra thrust the issue of illegal immigration once again into the national political consciousness.

The measure was the first measure signed into law by Trump at the beginning of his second term.

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