By Terell Wright, Alyssa Lukpat and Jaclyn Jeffrey-Wilensky

A Trump-aligned Georgia congressman and a former college football coach will meet in a runoff next month after neither captured 50% of the vote in the GOP Senate primary Tuesday to challenge Democrat Jon Ossoff for his Senate seat.

With 80% of the estimated vote tallied, Rep. Mike Collins received 40.5% of the vote compared with Derek Dooley's 30%, according to the Associated Press. runoff between Collins and Dooley will be held on June 16. President Trump didn't endorse a candidate.

Ahead of the November midterms that will determine control of Congress, the GOP hoped to project unity in a red-leaning state where Democrats have notched some key wins. This race's results signify fractures between the MAGA wing of the state's GOP and the traditional faction of the party occupied by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, who endorsed Dooley.

Collins, a trucking business entrepreneur, represents Georgia's 10th congressional district, a Republican stronghold in the state. He has positioned himself as a champion for Trump's legislative agenda. Last year, he introduced and passed the Laken Riley Act with bipartisan support in the House. The bill, named after a 22-year-old Georgia student killed by a Venezuelan immigrant, imposes harsher penalties on some people who are in the country illegally.

Kemp and Dooley, a former college football coach, are friends and grew up together in Athens, Ga. Dooley, who campaigned on a "Georgia First" platform, has never held elected office. He outperformed Rep. Buddy Carter, who came in third in the primary, in the wealthy, populous counties of the Atlanta metro area, where voters favored Kamala Harris over Trump in 2024.

Republicans are closely watching Georgia's Senate primaries as the party hopes to strengthen its 53-47 majority in the chamber.

Ossoff didn't have any Democratic primary challengers.

In the governor's race, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms won the Democratic gubernatorial primary.

With 95% of the estimated vote counted, Bottoms defeated a pack of Democratic candidates with 56% of the vote, according to the AP.. The Atlanta mayor during the Covid-19 pandemic, Bottoms campaigned on lowering healthcare and housing costs.

Trump-endorsed GOP gubernatorial candidate Lt. Gov. Burt Jones is headed for a runoff next month with late entrant Rick Jackson, a billionaire healthcare executive who has never held public office. Neither candidate captured the necessary majority to win, with Jones at about 39% compared with Jackson's roughly 33% after more than two-thirds of the vote had been counted, according to the AP.

One of the most-watched House races is in former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's district, where Republican Rep. Clayton Fuller won for a second time this year, according to the AP.

Fuller, a former prosecutor and Air Force veteran, defeated Democrat Shawn Harris in a special election last month to complete the remainder of Greene's term in the House. Greene resigned earlier this year after breaking with Trump over his foreign policy and handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files.

Fuller had about 83% of the vote over a crowded GOP field, while Harris, a cattle farmer, ran uncontested, according to the AP. The deep-red district has never sent a Democrat to the House. Fuller's victory in November would be crucial for the GOP to hold its narrow majority in the chamber.

There were several other primaries around the country, including in Alabama and Pennsylvania.

In Alabama, Sen. Tommy Tuberville won the GOP primary for governor, the AP said. He will face off against former Sen. Doug Jones, who secured the Democratic nomination.

In Pennsylvania, progressive candidate Chris Rabb defeated establishment Democratic candidate Sharif Street, the AP said. Rabb, a state representative and self-described Democratic socialist, has campaigned in opposition to military aid for Israel and supports Medicare for all. His victory in November is all but certain, as there is no Republican candidate for the state's third congressional district, which covers parts of Philadelphia.

Write to Terell Wright at terell.wright@wsj.com and Alyssa Lukpat at alyssa.lukpat@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

May 20, 2026 00:45 ET (04:45 GMT)

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