Rep. Mike Collins hires top Trump advisers for Georgia Senate runoff campaign
Rep. Mike Collins is hiring top Donald Trump advisers for his June 16 Georgia Senate runoff against Derek Dooley, signaling a potential Trump endorsement. The move sets up a proxy battle between Trump and Gov. Brian Kemp, who backs Dooley, reviving tensions from the 2020 election. Collins received 41% to Dooley's 30% in the primary, with the winner facing Sen. Jon Ossoff.
Collins hires Trump advisers
▪Rep. Mike Collins' campaign has hired several of President Trump's top political advisers for the Georgia Senate race.
▪Tim Saler, Trump's campaign chief data strategist, will serve in the same role for Rep. Mike Collins.
▪Tony Fabrizio, a Trump 2024 adviser, will serve as pollster and senior strategist for Rep. Mike Collins.
Trump endorsement signals
▪Donald Trump's endorsements can be unpredictable; he endorsed Ken Paxton over John Cornyn in Texas despite his strategists working for Cornyn.
▪The hiring of Trump's advisers is the clearest sign that Donald Trump may endorse Rep. Mike Collins.
Georgia GOP primary runoff
▪Rep. Mike Collins faces former University of Tennessee head football coach Derek Dooley in a June 16 primary runoff.
▪The winner of the runoff will challenge Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff in the November election.
▪In the initial primary, Mike Collins received 41% of the vote and Derek Dooley received 30%, forcing a runoff as neither reached the 50% threshold.
Trump-Kemp relationship history
▪Donald Trump turned on Gov. Brian Kemp after the 2018 election when Kemp refused to help overturn Trump's 2020 election defeat in Georgia.
▪The relationship between Donald Trump and Gov. Brian Kemp has warmed since Trump's 2025 inauguration.
Potential Trump-Kemp proxy battle
▪In 2022, Donald Trump backed a primary challenger to Gov. Brian Kemp, but Kemp won easily.
▪A potential Trump endorsement of Mike Collins could create a proxy battle with Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, who supports Derek Dooley.
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