Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA) is leading in early polling among the top GOP contenders in Georgia who hope to unseat Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff in 2026.
Collins, the second-term congressman from Georgia’s 10th district, holds a 10-point lead over Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA) and an 18-point lead over attorney and former college football coach Derek Dooley, Republican Gov. Brian Kemp’s pick to take on Ossoff.
In a hypothetical head-to-head matchup between the three candidates, Collins garners 30% of the vote, Carter gets 20%, and Dooley brings up the rear with 12%, while a whopping 38% of voters are still undecided. The results come from an Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll of 1,000 likely Republican voters in the Peach State, conducted from Oct. 15 through Oct. 23.
In a memo responding to the early poll, Collins’s campaign said he “has the clearest path to victory” and called on his GOP opponents to consider clearing the field to avoid a heated primary.
“Republicans must decide whether to subject themselves to a bruising primary process that will leave us weakened and at a massive cash disadvantage to Democrat incumbent Jon Ossoff or to begin unifying and preparing for what will be one of the most expensive and competitive elections next cycle,” the Collins campaign’s memo said.
However, early into the race, both Carter and Dooley show no signs of slowing down, each discussing shutdown politics and hammering Ossoff for voting in the Democratic bloc.
“Yard signs are up across Georgia! Momentum is building, and we’re just getting started,” Carter posted on X this week.
A September poll of 624 likely Georgia general election voters found that in hypothetical head-to-head matchups with Ossoff, Collins is tied with the democratic senator at 38%, Carter trails Ossoff 40% to 37%, and Dooley trails him 42% to 35%. Quantus Insights sponsored the survey.
COLLINS AND DOOLEY GO TOE-TO-TOE IN GEORGIA SENATE FUNDRAISING BATTLE
The three GOP candidates are still vying for President Donald Trump’s endorsement, each pitching themselves as aligned with his agenda and willing and able to go to bat for it in the Senate. However, the president has not yet put his thumb on the scale.
“A lot of good people in that field. I know all of them, actually. I haven’t made a decision on that, but you have some very good people in that Georgia Senate race,” Trump said in mid-October.
