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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