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President Trump has finally weighed in on a tight Republican runoff race in Georgia between two candidates hoping to take on incumbent Democrat Jon Ossoff in November.U.S. House Representative Mike Collins was endorsed by the president in a late-night Truth Social post Sunday morning over former college football coach Derek Dooley for the Georgia seat.In his endorsement, Trump called Collins a MAGA "warrior" and brought back his arguments over voting legitimacy in Georgia. Dooley is heavily endorsed and supported by outgoing Gov. Brian Kemp, who clashed with Trump over the results of the 2020 election.Polling has shown Collins and Dooley neck-and-neck going into the runoff race on June 16.Here's what the president said about Collins.Trump calls Collins a 'warrior' and 'winner'"It is my Great Honor to endorse 'MAGA' Mike Collins, a Highly Respected Congressman who has been with me from the very beginning, and is running for the United States Senate in Georgia, a very special place to me, and where we just had a BIG Presidential Election Win with the Most Votes Received by any single Candidate in Georgia's History, for any Election," Trump began his Truth Social post, shared early Sunday. "Mike is strongly supported by the most Highly Respected MAGA Patriots in Georgia and beyond, and many Republicans in the U.S. House and Senate — He is a WARRIOR and WINNER!"The president went on to call Collins a "successful Businessman" and celebrated his work in the U.S. House. Collins has served in the House since 2023 for Georgia's 10th congressional district in central Georgia. His seat is currently up for election."As your next Senator, Mike will continue to work hard to Grow the Economy, Cut Taxes and Regulations, Promote MADE IN THE U.S.A., Champion American Energy DOMINANCE, Strengthen our incredible Military/Veterans, Advance Election Integrity, Keep our Border SECURE, Stop Migrant Crime, Murderers, and other Criminals from illegally entering our Country, Ensure LAW AND ORDER, and Protect our always under siege Second Amendment," Trump said.In response to the endorsement, Collins thanked the president and wished him a happy birthday in a video posted on X. He shared a memory of meeting the president for the first time, also on June 14.Trump attacks Ossoff in Collins endorsement postIn his endorsement post, Trump attacked Sen. Jon Ossoff, who ran unopposed as the Democratic candidate in the midterm primary. The president called Ossoff a "Radical Left Lunatic" and a "Dumocrat.""He is a Radical Left Lunatic, a Dumocrat, and doesn't represent the values of the Great People of Georgia. I beat him years ago in a Congressional Race where he was winning by a lot until I offered my Endorsement, my Candidate won easily, and that's going to happen again because Jon Ossoff doesn't have what it takes," Trump said. "He is a laughingstock in Washington; he is weak and pathetic! All he's got is money provided by Radical Left people looking to destroy our Country. He is Reckless, Radical, and Dangerous."Ossoff lost his bid for the U.S. House in Georgia's 6th congressional district in a 2017 special election, but won his seat in the Senate in 2020.In response to the attacks, Ossoff's team released a statement calling the president "toxic.""After nearly a year-long brutally messy audition to win over the White House, Trump puppets Mike Collins and Derek Dooley have made themselves both unelectable and terminally inseparable from the toxic president," Ossoff campaign communications director Ellie Dougherty said. "The juggernaut Ossoff campaign continues to build incredible momentum to decisively defeat either pro-war, pro-tariff, and pro-cutting health care candidate in November."At a recent campaign event in Atlanta, Ossoff called out a recent House ethics investigation into Collins in which he was accused of paying the girlfriend of a staffer, though she did no work for his office. Ossoff has made anti-corruption a key tenet of his campaign and work in Washington, and he will likely continue that message if Collins wins the runoff.Trump says nobody knows Derek DooleyBefore Collins can truly set his sights on Ossoff, he first has to beat Dooley in the Tuesday runoff."But first things first! Mike has to beat a Republican Opponent before he gets to Ossoff," Trump said in his endorsement. "I don't know Derek Dooley, and neither does anyone else, but he seems like a nice person. Unfortunately, he has lived outside of Georgia for most of his life, didn't vote in 2020 or 2016, and said I lost Georgia in 2020 when, in actuality, the facts have now proven that I won by a lot!"Dooley has been caught up in an alleged pay-to-play scandal with Gov. Kemp in recent weeks, but last-minute funding from Kemp's political action committee pushed the candidate into second place during the midterm primary in May.In response to Trump's comments, Dooley said he has "great respect" for the president, and he "look(s) forward to working with him in the Senate.""As I've campaigned across this state, it's clear Georgians want a political outsider who can actually beat Jon Ossoff, and someone who is committed to ending the careerism, corruption, and inaction from typical D.C. politicians like Mike Collins," Dooley said in a post on X. "A vote for Mike Collins is a vote for Jon Ossoff — but a vote for me is a vote for the people of Georgia."When are runoff races in Georgia?The runoff election will be held on June 16 across the state. The Republican Senate race and the Republican gubernatorial race are just two of multiple statewide races on the ballot later this month.For a full list of the runoff election candidates, read USA TODAY's reporting here.Irene Wright covers midterm races in Georgia as the Atlanta Connect reporter with USA Today’s Deep South Connect team. Find her on X @IreneEWright or email her at ismith@usatodayco.com.
