Georgia Rep. Mike Collins and former football coach Derek Dooley are headed to a runoff to be the Republican U.S. Senate candidate, ABC News projects, in what the GOP sees as a prime pickup opportunity as it tries to maintain its majority in the Senate.
The winner will face Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff, who Democrats see as a rising star in their party and Republicans see as the most vulnerable sitting Democrat in the Senate.
Derek Dooley speaks at an event on Aug. 21, 2025, in Peachtree City, Georgia. | Rep. Mike Collins speaks at an event on Aug. 21, 2025, in Peachtree City, Georgia.
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The GOP Senate primary was largely a three-way race between Collins, Dooley, the son of legendary University of Georgia football coach Vince Dooley, and Rep. Buddy Carter. President Donald Trump did not make an endorsement in the race.
Besides the Senate race, there were also competitive Republican and Democratic primaries for Georgia governor to replace term-limited GOP Gov. Brian Kemp.
Georgia Capitol building in Atlanta.
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GOP primary for governor heads to runoff
In the Republican primary for governor, Trump-endorsed Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and billionaire businessman Rick Jackson will head to a June 16 runoff in the Republican primary, ABC News projects.
Georgia gubernatorial candidate Burt Jones speaks during a primary election night watch party, May 19, 2026, in Jackson, Ga.
Mike Stewart/AP Photo
The Republican primary for Georgia governor was defined by more than $100 million in spending, as well as fierce attack ads between the two front-runners in the race that dominated Georgia’s airwaves. According to AdImpact, the Georgia primary for governor was the third-most expensive gubernatorial primary on record. This race is a major test of Trump’s political power in Georgia. The president hosted a tele-rally earlier this month for Jones, a longtime Trump loyalist.
But even with the president’s endorsement and a high-profile position as current lieutenant governor, Jones was not able to shake Jackson, who has spent over $80 million of his own money in the race promoting his rags-to-riches story of growing up in foster care and attack ads that dragged Jones through the mud.
Georgia gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson prepares to speak during a primary election night party, May 19, 2026, in Atlanta.
Brynn Anderson/AP Photo
Jones, the heir to his family’s business empire, spent tens of millions of dollars on ads dragging Jackson right back.
Also running for the Republican nomination but failing to advance were Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr and Georgia’s Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who gained national attention for contesting Trump’s claims of election fraud in 2020.
Former Atlanta mayor projected to win Dem nod, avoiding runoff
On the Democratic side, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms was projected to win the Democratic nomination for governor, avoiding a runoff.
Gubernatorial candidate and former mayor of Atlanta, Keisha Lance Bottoms, speaks to supporters and members of the media while attending a phone booth event on Election Day May 19, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. Many positions are on the ballot, including the United States Senate, Governor, Secretary of State, and Attorney General.
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Bottoms entered the race with the greatest name recognition and boasted high-profile endorsements. Bottoms, who served in the Biden administration as Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, was endorsed by former President Joe Biden — his first endorsement in the 2026 midterm cycle.
Other candidates included former DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond, former Republican Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan and former Georgia state Sen. Jason Esteves.
Despite Democratic enthusiasm driven by dissatisfaction with Trump’s policies and the economic impact of the war in Iran, Bottoms may not face an easy road ahead.
A Democrat has not been elected governor of Georgia since 1998.
The Supreme Court decision in Louisiana v. Callais limiting the Voting Rights Act and paving the way for new Republican-led redistricting opportunities has raised the stakes in the governor race. Republicans in Georgia have already indicated their desire to draw new maps based on the Callais decision, and a Democrat in the governor’s office could mean veto power against any maps passed by a GOP-controlled state legislature.
