Republican Rep. Mike Collins won Georgia's GOP Senate runoff on Tuesday, defeating Derek Dooley to set up a high-stakes general election against Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff in November. The race was called by the Associated Press just after 8:30 p.m. with 52% of the vote counted, according to Axios.
Collins's victory positions him as a key test of Donald Trump's influence in Georgia, following the former president's late-stage endorsement. Republicans view Ossoff's seat as essential for maintaining their Senate majority, making this one of the most watched races in the country.
Preliminary results from Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger's office showed Collins winning roughly 55% of the vote. Dooley conceded to Collins, telling the AP, "He ran a tough campaign, he got out early and we just never could catch him."
Collins, a trucking company owner who represents a red district between Atlanta and Augusta, ran as a Trump loyalist with a central focus on immigration enforcement. The runoff highlighted a broader internal GOP debate: embrace the MAGA agenda or pursue an alternative path to victory in a swing state.
Ossoff enters the general election as a well-funded incumbent who has previously won a statewide campaign in Georgia. The contest will test whether a Trump-backed candidate can unseat a Democratic incumbent in a state that has become increasingly competitive.