Overview
- President Trump endorsed Rep. Mike Collins on Sunday, giving Collins a last-minute boost ahead of the Tuesday runoff for the GOP Senate nomination.
- The runoff pairs Collins, a Trump-aligned congressman, against Derek Dooley, who is backed by Gov. Brian Kemp and presented as a political outsider.
- The winner will face Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff in November and could affect control of the Senate because Ossoff holds a substantial fundraising advantage.
- Collins leads the May 19 primary with about 40% to Dooley’s roughly 30%, but he is also facing a House Ethics Committee probe and recent campaign controversies that critics say could be liabilities in a general election.
- Trump’s intervention continues a pattern of late endorsements that shape GOP primaries and may force Republicans in Georgia to choose between party loyalty to the president and a nominee seen as more broadly electable.