By Jeff Mordock (The Washington Times)
President Trump on Sunday endorsed Rep. Mike Collins, who authored the Laken Riley Act, over former college football coach Derek Dooley in this week’s GOP Senate runoff.
Registered Republicans will go to the polls Tuesday to decide who will face off against Sen. Jon Ossoff, Georgia Democrat, in November’s general election. Both Mr. Collins and Mr. Dooley fell short of the 50% of the primary vote needed last month to avoid a runoff.
The runoff is a test of Mr. Trump’s influence in Georgia, a state he won in 2024. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican who has often defied Mr. Trump, has endorsed Mr. Dooley.
The governor and Mr. Trump have exchanged criticism for years, particularly over the governor’s refusal to challenge the 2020 election results. Mr. Trump narrowly lost Georgia in 2020 and pushed Mr. Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, also a Republican, to challenge the results.
Mr. Trump backed Mr. Kemp’s opponent in the 2022 governor’s race, but the governor won reelection.
“Mike is strongly supported by the most Highly Respected MAGA Patriots in Georgia and beyond, and many Republicans in the U.S. House and Senate — He is a warrior and winner!” Mr. Trump wrote in a lengthy Truth Social post.
“Mike has to beat a Republican opponent before he gets to Ossoff,” Mr. Trump wrote. “I don’t know Derek Dooley, and neither does anyone else, but he seems like a nice person.”
“Unfortunately, he has lived outside of Georgia for most of his life, didn’t vote in 2020 or 2016, and said that I lost Georgia in 2020 when, in actuality, the facts have now proven that I won by a lot!” Mr. Trump continued.
Mr. Collins is a strong Trump ally and wrote the Laken Riley Act, which requires immigration officials to detain illegal immigrants if they are convicted or charged with certain crimes such as theft and burglary.
Mr. Dooley has been complimentary of the president, but his campaign has largely focused on Georgia and its needs, as opposed to Mr. Collins echoing the president’s “America’s First” language.
This article was made available to WMAL via The Washington Times.
