President Donald Trump threw his support behind Republican Rep. Mike Collins on Saturday in Georgia’s closely watched Senate runoff, a late endorsement that lands just days before voters choose the GOP nominee. Collins is set to face former college football coach Derek Dooley on Tuesday.
The endorsement gives Collins a powerful boost in a race Republicans see as one of the few that could help decide whether they keep their slim Senate majority. Dooley has the backing of Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, setting up a runoff that now has the party’s most influential figure weighing in at the last moment.
Trump had stayed out of the Georgia primary and runoff until Saturday, when he backed Collins after neither candidate cleared 50% in last month’s primary. Collins and Dooley emerged as the top two finishers from a crowded field that also included Rep. Buddy Carter, forcing Tuesday’s runoff election to settle the nomination.
The winner will go on to face Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff in the midterms, and Republicans view him as the most vulnerable Senate Democrat seeking re-election. Georgia is expected to be one of the handful of contests that will determine whether Republicans hold control of the chamber.
The endorsement also puts a spotlight on Collins himself. The House Ethics Committee has been investigating him over allegations involving payment to an intern in a district office, and Collins has denied any wrongdoing. Trump’s backing does not erase that scrutiny, but it could help Collins consolidate Republican voters in a race that was already close before Saturday.
What remains unclear is whether a late Trump endorsement will be enough to change the outcome. Collins and Dooley are scheduled to face off Tuesday, and the result will set the stage for a general-election fight that could ripple well beyond Georgia.
