Embattled Congressman Faces High-Stakes Clash with Jon Ossoff Amid Scandal Allegations

A Georgia Congressman, backed by former President Donald Trump and no stranger to controversy, has emerged victorious in the state’s Senate GOP primary runoff. This win positions him to take on a prominent Democratic contender.

Rep. Mike Collins successfully defeated Derek Dooley, a former football coach, in Tuesday night’s election, according to projections by NBC News.

Before the votes were cast, Collins was heavily favored, with prediction market Kalshi giving him a 90 percent chance of winning. As the results started to pour in, Collins maintained an 8-point lead over Dooley with roughly half the votes counted.

However, Collins’ campaign has not been without its challenges. Insiders from the White House political circle have shown some reluctance regarding Trump’s endorsement of Collins, given the controversy surrounding him.

Allegations have surfaced about Collins’ former chief of staff, who purportedly hired his girlfriend for $10,000 in work that other staff members couldn’t identify. Moreover, his current chief of staff was reportedly involved in a chat group with white nationalists and anti-Semites. Additionally, a past intern and campaign staffer openly identified as a racist.

Collins has also been accused of peddling ‘racist’ social media posts, specifically after he circulated a video in 2024 of a college student making monkey sounds and gestures at a black female student with the caption, ‘taking care of business.’

And Republicans are concerned because incumbent Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff, 39, has surged in polls and heralded as a possible 2028 presidential candidate after a series of rousing speeches that have eviscerated Trump and electrified his party base.

Congressman Mike Collins racked up a victory over Derek Dooley in Tuesday’s Georgia Senate runoff

Collins beat former football coach Derek Dooley in a runoff for the Georgia Senate GOP primary on Tuesday

Georgia GOP Senate hopeful Congressman Mike Collins (L) with President Donald Trump (C) in the Oval Office with his wife Leigh Ann Collins (R). Trump endorsed Collins on Monday, the day before Tuesday’s runoff 

Collins will now face incumbent Georgia Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff (shown above) in November’s general election 

Trump threw his support behind the Congressman in a last-minute endorsement announced on Monday, all but formally cementing Collins as the Republican nominee. 

Some in Trump’s orbit have raised alarm over Collins’ hardline stance on abortion – the Congressman said in 2022 he supported no exceptions, even for rape, incest or when a mother’s life is at risk.

A major Democratic super PAC dubbed Collins ‘an opposition researcher’s dream.’ 

‘He treats Congress like a money-making scheme for his family business, an ethics-free zone, and a conspiracy theory clearinghouse – sometimes all in the same week,’ said Lauren French, a spokeswoman for Senate Majority PAC after Collins was crowned the nominee.

Ossoff, meanwhile, is widely seen as a next-generation leader of the Democratic Party after his surprising 2021 election win over then-incumbent Republican David Perdue.

The Senator has also become one of the best fundraisers in the country, entering the general election cycle with over $32 million in his campaign coffers. 

Collins, by contrast, has just over $1 million in campaign cash on hand, per his latest federal filings. 

Polls heading into the November general election show Ossoff with an edge over Collins. 

Attendees await results at Mike Collins’ election night party in Georgia, a major Senate target for Republicans this fall

Polls asking voters on who they prefer in a head-to-head matchup between Ossoff and Collins show that the Democrat has a multi-point edge 

Collins had a 98 percent chance of winning the Senate GOP primary runoff on Tuesday afternoon

Georgia is considered a swing state and Collins has trailed Ossoff in early polling of the general election

The path to victory for Collins in the general election treads through difficult terrain. 

Though Trump won Georgia by two points in 2024, the state is still seen as a battleground that has flipped back and forth between the two parties.

Ossoff, meanwhile, is the only Democratic Senator who is up for reelection in a state that Trump won, meaning the GOP has their target set on him to flip the state red.