Trump-backed Mike Collins wins Georgia primary runoff to face Jon Ossoff
U.S. Representative Mike Collins, endorsed by Donald Trump, won the Republican primary runoff in Georgia on Tuesday and will face Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff in November. In the gubernatorial race, billionaire Rick Jackson defeated Trump-backed candidate Burt Jones to secure the GOP nomination.
Donald Trump's chosen candidate, U.S. Representative Mike Collins, decisively won the Georgia Republican primary runoff on Tuesday, beating former college football coach Derek Dooley. Collins will now face Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff in the November midterm election for a highly competitive Senate seat.
Collins, a trucking executive and former member of the conservative Freedom Caucus, has served in the House since 2023. He is a staunch anti-abortion advocate with a history of provocative social media posts and has repeatedly questioned the legitimacy of the 2020 election while defending the January 6 Capitol rioters. His father, Mac Collins, served in the House from 1993 to 2002.
Dooley, the son of legendary University of Georgia football coach Vince Dooley, had the backing of outgoing Governor Brian Kemp, including endorsements, staff, and fundraising support, but failed to overcome Collins' Trump endorsement.
In the governor's race, billionaire healthcare executive Rick Jackson defeated Trump-backed Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones in the runoff. Jackson will face Democratic nominee Keisha Lance Bottoms in November. The primary campaign was marked by libel lawsuits and federal challenges to Georgia's election law.
Other developments: At the G7 summit in France, Trump criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, urging him to be "more responsible with respect to Lebanon." The Republican-led Senate narrowly rejected a Democratic resolution on war powers that would have required the president to end hostilities with Iran, with a 48-47 vote. The Justice Department announced charges against five men for an alleged plot to kill government officials at a UFC event at the White House on Sunday. FBI Director Kash Patel reportedly angered Secret Service officials by announcing the alleged plot on social media before about 10 suspects were arrested. Trump nominated Manhattan's top federal prosecutor, Jay Clayton, as Director of National Intelligence; Democrats are awaiting his confirmation hearing. A new AP-NORC poll finds that most Americans believe civil liberties such as voting rights are threatened, though they still consider them core to national identity.
