Trump's endorsement power faces another crucial test in a state he won twice
Three days before Georgia's Republican Senate runoff, Donald Trump ended his silence and endorsed Rep. Mike Collins, a steadfast MAGA ally, over Derek Dooley — a choice that illuminates the enduring fault lines between Trump's national movement and the state's own Republican establishment, embodied by Gov. Brian Kemp. The race carries weight beyond Georgia's borders, as the runoff winner will face Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff in November, a contest Republicans see as one of their clearest paths to strengthening their Senate majority. In a political moment defined by competing loyalties and contested legacies, Georgia has become a mirror for the broader struggle over who shapes the Republican Party's future.
- Trump's last-minute endorsement of Collins fractures the Georgia GOP, pitting the president's national movement directly against Gov. Kemp's home-state machine in a race neither side can afford to lose.
- Both candidates arrive at the runoff damaged — Collins under a House Ethics investigation and entangled in a staffer's cruel social media attack, Dooley shadowed by pay-to-play allegations tied to his brother and the governor himself.
- The stakes extend far beyond Tuesday: the winner inherits a general election fight against Jon Ossoff, who is already amassing a formidable war chest and represents one of Democrats' most visible Senate incumbents.
- Trump's endorsement record in 2026 is uneven — recent losses in Iowa temper the aura of inevitability, even as wins in South Carolina and elsewhere remind rivals that his backing still moves Republican voters.
- Georgia is now hosting two simultaneous tests of Trump's influence — the Senate runoff and a gubernatorial contest — making the state a concentrated referendum on where Republican power truly resides heading into the midterms.
Three days before Georgia Republicans headed back to the polls, Donald Trump ended his studied neutrality and endorsed Rep. Mike Collins in the state's Senate runoff. Collins, who represents the district stretching between Atlanta and Augusta and co-owns a trucking company with his wife, had long cast himself as a loyal Trump ally — but the president had withheld his blessing through the primary and into the runoff itself. His opponent, Derek Dooley, carried the backing of Gov. Brian Kemp, a popular conservative whose wife and top political advisor had been active fixtures in the Dooley campaign. The endorsement made the split between Trump and Kemp official, surfacing a tension that had long simmered beneath Georgia's Republican surface.
Neither candidate had cleared 50 percent in the primary, forcing Tuesday's contest. The winner would face Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff in November — a matchup Republicans considered their strongest Senate pickup opportunity. But both men arrived at the runoff carrying significant baggage. Collins was under investigation by the House Ethics Committee over allegations involving a district office intern, and his campaign had been further embarrassed when a staffer mocked the wife of a Dooley advisor on social media. Collins called the post despicable, apologized, and fired the staffer. Dooley, meanwhile, spent the final week of the race denying involvement in a pay-to-play scheme connected to his brother and the governor. Kemp also denied any wrongdoing, though state Democrats called for an independent inquiry.
Trump's endorsement arrived against a backdrop of mixed primary results. His candidates had toppled incumbents in Indiana, Louisiana, Kentucky, and Texas, but a late push for Iowa Rep. Randy Feenstra had fallen short when Feenstra lost narrowly to a challenger backed by the MAHA movement and Turning Point USA. A partial rebound came in South Carolina, where his endorsed candidates for governor and Senate both performed well. Georgia, hosting both the Senate runoff and a separate gubernatorial contest featuring Trump-backed Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, had become the clearest test yet of how much the president's endorsement still shapes the Republican Party's direction as the midterms approach.
On Saturday, with Georgia's Republican Senate runoff just three days away, Donald Trump broke his silence and threw his weight behind Rep. Mike Collins, a congressman who has built his political identity around unwavering loyalty to the president. The endorsement was a late move in a race that will help determine whether Republicans can hold their narrow Senate majority after November's midterm elections.
Collins, who represents Georgia's 10th Congressional District between Atlanta and Augusta, is the son of the late Rep. Mac Collins and co-owns a trucking company with his wife. He was facing Derek Dooley, a lawyer and former University of Tennessee football coach whose father, Vince Dooley, was a legendary coach at the University of Georgia. Neither candidate had cleared 50 percent in last month's primary, forcing them into Tuesday's runoff. The winner would advance to face Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff in the general election—a matchup Republicans view as their best pickup opportunity in the Senate.
What made Trump's endorsement significant was that he had remained neutral through the primary and runoff until this moment. Collins had long positioned himself as a Trump loyalist, but the president had stayed out of the fight. Dooley, by contrast, had the backing of Gov. Brian Kemp, a popular conservative who is a lifelong friend. Kemp and his wife had campaigned regularly with Dooley, and the governor's top political advisor was serving as a senior consultant to the campaign. The split between Trump and Kemp in this race reflected a deeper tension within Georgia's Republican establishment.
Both candidates carried political liabilities. The House Ethics Committee was investigating Collins over allegations that he had paid an intern in his district office who had a romantic relationship with his congressional chief of staff but who had not actually performed any work. Collins denied wrongdoing. The situation grew worse when a staffer on his Senate campaign used social media to mock the wife of a Dooley campaign advisor who had attempted suicide after accusing Matt Lauer of rape. Collins apologized, calling the post "despicable and unauthorized," and later fired the staffer. Dooley, meanwhile, had faced accusations over the past week of involvement in a "pay to play" scandal connected to his brother Daniel and Gov. Kemp. Both Dooley and Kemp denied any impropriety, though Democrats in the state legislature called for an independent investigation.
Trump's endorsement came as his track record in recent primaries had shown mixed results. His candidates had ousted incumbents in Indiana, Louisiana, Kentucky, and Texas, demonstrating his continued clout over the GOP base. But two weeks earlier, his 11th-hour endorsement of Iowa Rep. Randy Feenstra had failed to secure victory in the race to succeed retiring Gov. Kim Reynolds. Feenstra lost narrowly to Zach Lahn, a businessman and farmer backed by the political wings of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Make America Healthy Again movement and Turning Point USA. Trump had rebounded somewhat in South Carolina, where his endorsed candidate, Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, finished first in the gubernatorial primary. Sen. Lindsey Graham, also Trump-endorsed, won a majority in his Senate primary and avoided a runoff despite challenges from five opponents, including conservative businessman Mark Lynch, who had attacked Graham over his support for military intervention in Iran.
Georgia itself was hosting another test of Trump's endorsement power. In the gubernatorial runoff to succeed the term-limited Kemp, Trump-backed Lt. Gov. Burt Jones was competing against billionaire businessman Rick Jackson for the GOP nomination. The state had become a crucial battleground for determining not just which Republicans would represent Georgia, but also the extent of Trump's influence over the party's direction heading into the midterms. Ossoff, meanwhile, had been building a substantial war chest that would give him a significant fundraising advantage once the general election began.
Notable Quotes
Collins called a social media post mocking a woman who attempted suicide 'despicable and unauthorized,' and later fired the staffer responsible— Rep. Mike Collins
Dooley and Gov. Kemp denied wrongdoing in connection with pay-to-play scandal allegations involving Dooley's brother— Derek Dooley and Gov. Brian Kemp
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why did Trump wait until now to endorse Collins, when he'd stayed neutral through the primary?
It's a calculation. Trump was testing the field, seeing how his base would respond. Collins proved he could survive without the endorsement, which actually made the endorsement more valuable—it looks like a choice, not a coronation.
And Kemp backing Dooley—is that a direct challenge to Trump?
Not explicitly, but it's a statement about what kind of Republican Georgia's governor thinks can win statewide. Kemp is popular and independent-minded. He's saying the party doesn't need Trump's blessing to succeed.
Both candidates have serious problems. Does that change the dynamic?
It does. Normally you'd expect one candidate to run clean and attack the other. Here they're both damaged, so the race becomes about which damage voters find more forgivable—ethics violations or inexperience and outsider status.
What does this say about Trump's power right now?
It's being tested. Iowa showed his endorsement isn't automatic victory. Georgia will show whether he can move voters in a state he won twice, or whether local power structures like Kemp still matter more.
If Collins wins, does that strengthen Trump's hand?
Significantly. It would mean Trump can still move a Senate race in a battleground state. If Dooley wins, it suggests Kemp's establishment network and local relationships still carry weight Trump can't overcome.