As the 2026 midterms quickly approach, the road to expanding the Republican majority in the U.S. Senate will once again run through Georgia—where we have by far the best opportunity to flip a seat, pick up a vote, and retire the most vulnerable incumbent Democrat in the country—Jon Ossoff. After roughly three months of a three-way Republican primary process, one thing has become abundantly clear on the ground in Georgia: Mike Collins is far and away the frontrunner and best positioned candidate to immediately unite the party and defeat Jon Ossoff.
Despite working against the headwinds of an established and powerful political network, Collins has consistently defied expectations. He leads in fundraising, polling, grassroots support, infrastructure on the ground and momentum.
Polling – First Place
Collins, despite only serving one full term in Congress, continues to hold a commanding lead over ex-University of Tennessee coach Derek Dooley and a decisive advantage over six-term Congressman Buddy Carter—even after the Carter campaign has spent more than $3 million in advertising and the governor’s federal Hardworking Americans PAC boosting Dooley with roughly $1 million in advertisements. Unlike the competition, neither the Collins campaign nor any allied outside groups have spent ANY money on TV to buoy his bid.
Every public poll mirrors private polling. Collins leads Carter on average by 6 points and
Dooley on average by 19 points. Surveys also show Collins is by far the strongest in a head-to-head matchup with Jon Ossoff, polling 38-38 percent with Ossoff, while Dooley trails the
incumbent by 7 percentage points.
TIPP 8/1/25
Collins 27
Carter 20
Dooley 8
Quantus 9/12/25
Collins 25
Carter 20
Dooley 7
Ground Game – First Place
First, it’s apparent to anyone on the ground in Georgia that Collins has a natural and authentic energy with the base that money can’t buy. It’s rooted in a long track record of fighting alongside President Trump, starting with his very first primary in 2016. Collins has consistently been with the President through good times and bad, he’s traveled the country to assist the America First movement and been a staple throughout Georgia to help conservatives and fellow Republicans win elections. That conservative commitment and track record is paying dividends.
Even something as simple as crowd sizes tell the story, for example, you’ll never see Dooley
attempt to draw a crowd on his own. Unlike Collins, the ex-coach struggles to put 60 people in a venue even when most of those are coming out of respect for the governor.
The Collins campaign is the best organized across the state as the ONLY operation with “Convoy Captains” in all 159 of Georgia’s counties. Today, that county-level leadership volunteer total has ballooned to over 550. More on the record-breaking grassroots infrastructure rollout here. Even though Dooley has access to the governor’s rolodex, he has yet to exhibit any grassroots support or official statewide organization.
Additionally, Collins is the only candidate with statewide support from elected officials who are engaged on their local level to help him. Big names are great, but a network of 80+ state
legislators, sheriffs and county commissioners who live in their respective communities and
advocating for Collins is a massive advantage no other candidate comes close to matching.
Fundraising – First Place
Mike Collins brought in more money, has more individual donors, and more cash on hand than Dooley and Carter when you exclude personal loans.
The ability to raise money both in Georgia and across the country is paramount to defeating Jon Ossoff, and Collins has built the infrastructure to take on the incumbent. Collins boasts contributors from all 50 states, Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, plus all 159 counties in Georgia. No candidate comes close to the roughly 40,000 donors Collins has attracted. The competition relies instead on a cluster of wealthy donors or personal loans to fund their operations thus far.
Mike Collins
Raised: $1,936,786
COH: $2,318,722
Derek Dooley
Raised: $1,878,605
COH: $1,705,111
Buddy Carter
Raised: $939,579
COH: $3,896,453 ($2M loan)
All of these factors make one conclusion inescapable: Conservative Workhorse Mike Collins is the clear frontrunner in this race and the Republican Party’s best hope to defeat Jon Ossoff.
Midterms are about energy and turnout, but Collins also has a story to tell with suburban swing voters. His legislative record of results—including two bipartisan bills signed into law by two different presidents from two different parties—only adds to his general election appeal, strengthening his ability to compete across the electorate while staying true to the conservative values that energize the Republican base and turn out lower propensity Trump voters next Fall.
The longer this primary drags out, the larger the money gap between Jon Ossoff and the
Republican nominee grows—and the worse our chances are to win in November. Now is the time to unite around the clear frontrunner and the candidate who has been with President Trump since day one—Mike Collins.
PO Box 2184
Alpharetta, GA 30005
