Georgia primaries test Ossoff as Republicans battle for Senate edge

Georgia’s Republican Senate primary is about to reveal whether Donald Trump can still shape the party’s nominee in a state that could decide control of the U.S. Senate. Three candidates are split between hard-edged loyalty to Trump and a broader appeal to general-election voters, while Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff enters the final stretch as the only Senate Democrat on the 2026 ballot in a state Trump carried in 2024.

The field centers on Reps. Mike Collins and Buddy Carter, along with former college football coach Derek Dooley, whom Gov. Brian Kemp has endorsed. Kemp’s choice matters because he passed on a Senate run himself and then threw his political weight behind Dooley, signaling a contrast between establishment Republicans who want a nominee seen as competitive in November and activists who may reward the most explicit Trump ally. Collins has positioned himself as a strong supporter of Trump, sharpening the contest into a test of ideological loyalty versus wider appeal.

Turnout will also be watched closely. Early voting ran from April 27 through May 15, and election day voting is set for 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 19. A recent Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll found 54% of likely Republican voters were still undecided in late April, a sign that the race had not settled around any one candidate even with the primary days away. If no contender clears 50%, the top two will go to a runoff on June 16.

Ossoff has spent the spring building a financial edge that could matter as Republicans sort out their nominee. Federal Election Commission records showed he had raised more than $81.1 million overall through April 29, 2026, with nearly 98% of donations at $100 or less and an average contribution of $38. That small-dollar base gives Ossoff a large cushion for advertising, field work and turnout efforts in a race that is expected to be one of the costliest in the country.

The Georgia contest comes just as Trump-backed influence showed its force in Louisiana, where Julia Letlow and John Fleming advanced to a June 27 runoff after Bill Cassidy finished third. Letlow had Trump’s endorsement, while Cassidy lost support after voting to convict Trump in the 2021 impeachment trial. For Georgia Republicans, Tuesday’s primary will show whether that kind of loyalty still dominates the party’s Senate politics, or whether voters are looking harder at who can actually win in November.