Mike Collins, Derek Dooley advance to GOP runoff for Georgia U.S. Senate seat

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U.S. Rep. Mike Collins (left) and Derek Dooley (right) advance to the Georgia Republican primary runoff for U.S. Senate.

ATLANTA - U.S. Rep. Mike Collins and former football coach Derek Dooley advanced to the Republican runoff for the U.S. Senate on Tuesday. Neither candidate captured a majority of the primary vote, forcing a high-stakes showdown to determine who will challenge incumbent Democrat Jon Ossoff.

What we know:

Derek Dooley will compete against U.S. Rep. Mike Collins for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate in a June 16 runoff. Neither candidate received at least 50% of the vote during the primary election on Tuesday to win the race outright.

Collins, 58, currently represents a congressional district located directly east of Atlanta and owns a family trucking business. He focused his entire run for office on strict immigration enforcement. Dooley, 57, is a lawyer and former football coach who is running for public office for the very first time.

'This ol' trucker will deliver': Mike Collins on runoff

Rep. Mike Collins speaks on heading to a runoff against Derek Dooley in Georgia senate race. The pair will faceoff for the Republican nomination to oppose Sen. Jon Ossoff.

Dig deeper:

Gov. Brian Kemp showed up Monday at the West Cobb Diner in Marietta to publicly support rival candidate Derek Dooley. Kemp said local Republicans are fully focused on reclaiming the Senate seat that Democrats narrowly won six years ago.

Dooley pitched himself to voters as a political outsider. He faced heavy competition from Collins and Carter, who both worked to appeal to conservative voters on Capitol Hill. President Donald Trump has not endorsed a candidate in this Senate race.

Buddy Carter concedes in senate race

Congressman Buddy Carter takes questions after conceding his candidacy to oppose Senator Jon Ossoff in the general election. Republicans Derek Dooley and Mike Collins will face off in a runoff for the Republican nomination.

Big picture view:

The ultimate winner of the June 16 runoff will face Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff, 39, in the general election this November. Ossoff stands as the only Democratic senator in the country seeking reelection this year in a state that Donald Trump won in 2024.

Georgia Republicans remain hopeful that they can defeat him in November. Knocking out the incumbent would prevent national Democrats from gaining a wider Senate majority in Washington.

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