Georgia Senate runoff could become Kemp vs Trump proxy battle in June
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The search for the one candidate who can beat Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) isn’t quite over yet; A runoff election between a political outsider and an experienced MP is set for next month.
Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga. and former college football coach Derek Dooley are heading to runoff elections on June 16 in a special case of political outcome in which both parties hope to maintain or gain power in the Senate.
The contest includes Collins, Dooley and Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga. It comes after a frustrating primary between and a battle that President Donald Trump has so far avoided.
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Sen. Jon Ossoff, a Democrat from Georgia, during a press conference following the weekly Senate Democratic policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 9, 2025. (Aaron Schwartz/Bloomberg/Getty Images)
His endorsement, as in other races, could make or break Collins’ or Dooley’s chances of advancing.
Dooley embraced the outsider moniker, arguing that he would side with Trump for the benefit of Georgians.
“As your senator, I will never forget that you are the boss and D.C. politicians need accountability,” Dooley told X. “Term limits. Ban insider trading. End government shutdowns. I will fight to end politics as usual in Washington.”
Collins leaned heavily on her MAGA bona fides as she tried to woo the president into supporting her in the race.
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“Georgia needs the right Republican to unseat Jon Ossoff,” Collins told X . “He is someone who has delivered, has the conservative record to prove it, and has President Trump’s back when it matters most.”
But for Ossoff’s campaign, it doesn’t matter which opponent they face in November.
“Whichever Trump’s puppet emerges from this complex and brutal GOP primary, they will be bruised and inseparable from the lethally toxic president,” Ossoff campaign spokeswoman Ellie Doughtery said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Meanwhile, Ossoff’s overwhelming campaign will continue to build insurmountable momentum to win decisively in November.”
While Trump remained out of the race, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, whom Republicans lobbied heavily for the Senate nomination until he was ultimately rejected, weighed in.
Kemp has thrown his support behind family friend Dooley, who he believes could create a shakeup in the GOP establishment given his lack of political experience.
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WASHINGTON – MAY 23: Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., leaves a House Republican meeting at the Capitol Hill Club on Tuesday, May 23, 2023 in Washington. (Bill Clark)
“I want to win back our Senate seat,” Kemp said before Election Day. “We haven’t done very well in U.S. Senate races in the state of Georgia over the past few cycles, and we have another opportunity to take back one of our Senate seats. And we need the right person to do it.”
The runoff could turn into a new political fight between Kemp and Trump, who have been sparring since the 2020 election. And Dooley and Collins will act as proxies back and forth in case the president decides to get involved.
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Democrats, meanwhile, are confident Ossoff will keep his seat despite being the only Senate Democrat running for re-election in the state Trump won in 2024. But infighting among Republicans and Ossoff’s battle-tested performance have encouraged Democrats that they can win in November.
Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., who defeated an incumbent like Ossoff and won again in 2023 against a Trump-backed opponent, offered some advice to Republicans hours before the polls closed.
“I want to offer a word of encouragement,” Warnock told Fox News Digital about the GOP infighting. “They should keep it up.”
