President Trump claims Iran war is over in phone call with Bert Jones
The president claimed in a phone call with Georgia Lieutenant Governor Bert Jones that the Iran war is over.
The long and complicated primary race for the Republican Senate nomination has finally come to an end.
On Tuesday night, U.S. Rep. Mike Collins defeated former college football coach Derek Dooley. Immediate results showed an incredibly close race, but the gap widened as the votes were counted.
Collins received a last-minute endorsement from President Trump over the weekend, potentially putting him in a corner in the final days of the primary season.
Mr. Dooley was supported and largely supported by outgoing Gov. Brian Kemp, a longtime family friend. Dooley defeated Buddy Carter in the fourth quarter of the May primary to compete for the second place in the runoff. Dooley and Kemp then became embroiled in a possible pay-to-play scandal dating back to Kemp’s early days in the governor’s mansion.
Polls showed Mr. Dooley and Mr. Collins nearly neck and neck heading into the runoff.
Trump makes last-minute endorsement in Georgia Senate primary
President Trump said, “It is a great honor to endorse MAGA Mike Collins, a highly respected lawmaker who has been with me since the beginning. Georgia is a very special place to me, and we just won a landslide presidential victory with the most votes for a single candidate in Georgia history in any election.” Sunday morning. “Mike has the strong support of some of the most respected MAGA patriots in Georgia and beyond, as well as many Republicans in the U.S. House and Senate – he is a warrior and a winner!”
The president went on to call Collins a “successful businessman” and praise his work in the House. Collins has been serving as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives since 2023 for the 10th Congressional District in central Georgia. His seat is currently up for election.
“As your next senator, Mike will continue to work to grow our economy, cut taxes and regulations, promote Made in the USA, defend America’s energy advantage, strengthen our amazing military and veterans, promote election integrity, secure our borders, stop immigrant criminals, murderers, and other criminals from entering the country illegally, ensure law and order, and protect our nation, which is always under siege,” Trump said.
Ossoff returns to anti-corruption issue
Following Collins’ victory, Ossoff returned to some of his key talking points, adding support for Trump.
“Donald Trump’s handpicked candidate, Mike Collins, is a notorious bigot, anti-Semite, and extremist who is currently under federal investigation for misappropriation of tax dollars,” Ossoff said in a statement Tuesday night. “Collins became a congressman because his father was a congressman and voted for doubling health insurance premiums for more than 1 million Georgians, the Iran war, and the Trump tariffs.”
Mr. Ossoff has made anti-corruption a central tenet of his campaign and has regularly accused Mr. Collins and his former opponent, Mr. Dooley, of corrupt practices.
“They should come out now and answer questions about everything,” Ossoff said at a campaign event in Atlanta on May 31. “But Atlanta, it doesn’t matter who wins. They’re both corrupt political insiders, pro-war, pro-tariff, pro-healthcare cuts. They’re both Trump puppets, and we’ll defeat one of them in November.” Because this campaign isn’t just for Democrats, it’s for everyone who sees things spiraling out of our control, who longs for sanity and competence, and who sees the same old politics failing across the state. ”
Collins says it’s time to ‘get to work’
In a post on X after winning, Collins said he was “honored” to have been chosen as a candidate.
“Now is the time to get to work, defeat Jon Ossoff, and win this seat back for the people of our state,” Collins said. “Hammer down!”
The Senate race will be one of the most closely watched midterm elections, as seats could determine control of the Senate.
Georgia currently has a Republican governor and two Democratic senators. Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms will face off against Republican Rick Jackson in November’s gubernatorial race, with Bottoms the favorite in polls and early polls showing Ossoff leading both Republican candidates. If Collins and Jackson lose in November, Georgia will vote yes in the state House and Senate. If Collins and Jackson win, they will control the governor’s mansion and one Senate seat, but the other seat will go to Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock, who is not up for re-election this term.
Eileen Wright is an Atlanta Connect reporter for USA Today’s Deep South Connect team, covering midterm races in Georgia. X Find her at @IreneEWright or email her at ismith@usatodayco.com.
