President Donald Trump on Monday endorsed U.S. Rep. Mike Collins ahead of Georgia’s Republican primary runoff for U.S. Senate, where Collins is set to face former Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley on Tuesday.
President Donald Trump endorsed U.S. Rep. Mike Collins on Monday ahead of Georgia’s Republican primary runoff election for U.S. Senate.
In a statement posted Monday morning, Trump called Collins a “Highly Respected Congressman” and described him as a “WARRIOR and WINNER.”
The endorsement comes ahead of Tuesday’s runoff between Collins and Derek Dooley, a former University of Tennessee football coach, to decide the Republican nominee for the seat held by Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff.
The runoff was triggered after no candidate won a majority in the May 22 Republican primary. Collins led the field with 40.5% of the vote, while Dooley finished second with 30.2%.
Trump had first endorsed Collins on Saturday, then reiterated his backing Monday. In his Saturday message, Trump criticized Dooley for having lived outside Georgia for much of his life, for not voting in the 2016 and 2020 elections, and for saying Trump lost Georgia in 2020.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has backed Dooley, calling him the party’s best chance to defeat Ossoff.
Voters on Tuesday will also decide another high-profile Republican runoff: Lt. Gov. Burt Jones—who has been endorsed by Trump—will face businessman Rick Jackson in the GOP runoff for governor. Jones led that primary with 38.2% to Jackson’s 32.5%.
