President Donald Trump has endorsed U.S. Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA) ahead of the closely watched runoff in Georgia’s Republican primary for U.S. Senate.
Collins, who represents Georgia’s 10th Congressional District, is set to face former University of Tennessee head football coach Derek Dooley in the June 16 runoff. The winner will challenge Democratic incumbent Senator Jon Ossoff in the November 2026 general election.
Trump did not make an endorsement during the initial Republican primary on May 19. In that contest, Collins received approximately 40.5% of the vote, Dooley about 30.2%, and U.S. Representative Buddy Carter around 25.1%. No candidate secured a majority, which set up the runoff between the top two finishers.
On Saturday evening, Trump formally endorsed Collins ahead of the closely-watched runoff.
“It is my Great Honor to endorse ‘MAGA’ Mike Collins, a Highly Respected Congressman who has been with me from the very beginning, and is running for the United States Senate in Georgia, a very special place to me, and where we just had a BIG Presidential Election Win with the Most Votes Received by any single Candidate in Georgia’s History, for any Election,” the president posted on Truth Social.
“Mike Collins is a true Friend, Fighter, and WARRIOR, who has been with us from the very beginning, and has my Complete and Total Endorsement to be your next United States Senator. Mike is strongly supported by the most Highly Respected MAGA Patriots in Georgia and beyond, and many Republicans in the U.S. House and Senate — He is a WARRIOR and WINNER! Mike has to beat a Republican Opponent before he gets to Ossoff,” Trump continued.
“I don’t know Derek Dooley, and neither does anyone else, but he seems like a nice person. Unfortunately, he has lived outside of Georgia for most of his life, didn’t vote in 2020 or 2016, and said that I lost Georgia in 2020 when, in actuality, the facts have now proven that I won by a lot!”
Trump endorses Mike Collins for US Senate in Georgia.
Follow: @AFpost pic.twitter.com/pQdDbsXU0W
— AF Post (@AFpost) June 14, 2026
Collins, a trucking executive and two-term congressman who as first elected in 2022, has aligned closely with Trump’s policy positions, particularly on immigration. He sponsored legislation that Trump signed early in his current term. Collins’ campaign has also incorporated advisers from Trump’s political operation.
Dooley, who has not held elected office, received support from Georgia Governor Brian Kemp and positioned his candidacy around outsider credentials and state-focused priorities.
The endorsement arrives in the final days before voting, with some early ballots already cast. Recent polls for the runoff have shown Collins leading Dooley, with margins ranging from several points to double digits in certain surveys.
The eventual winner’s general election matchup against Ossoff is expected to be highly competitive. Aggregated polling and forecasts rate the race as a toss-up or slight lean toward the Democrat, with control of the U.S. Senate potentially at stake in what is viewed as one of the more consequential contests of the 2026 midterms.
In the concurrent Georgia gubernatorial race, Trump endorsed Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones. Jones advanced to a Republican runoff against businessman Rick Jackson following the May 19 primary.
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