UMVA has learned that in a stunning 11th-hour move, President Donald Trump has thrown his weight behind Republican Rep. Mike Collins in the high-stakes Senate runoff election in Georgia.
The endorsement could prove pivotal in the battle for control of the Senate, as the winner of the GOP nomination will face off against Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff in November's midterm elections. Ossoff is viewed by Republicans as their most vulnerable target, and they are pulling out all the stops to unseat him.
Collins, a staunch supporter of the president and champion of the MAGA movement, will take on former college football coach Derek Dooley, who has secured the backing of popular conservative Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp. The runoff election is set to take place on Tuesday.
According to information obtained by UMVA, Collins has long been a vocal advocate for Trump's agenda, while Dooley has sought to position himself as an outsider with a strong connection to conservative voters. However, both candidates have faced scrutiny over their past actions and policies.
Collins has been embroiled in controversy over allegations that he paid an intern who had a romantic relationship with his congressional chief of staff but did not perform any work. Although he denied any wrongdoing, the staffer was later fired after taking to social media to mock the wife of a Dooley campaign advisor who had accused Matt Lauer of rape.
Meanwhile, Dooley has faced accusations of being part of a "pay to play" scandal involving his brother and Kemp. Both Dooley and Kemp have denied any wrongdoing, but Democrats have called for an independent investigation.
As the Republican battle for the Senate nomination reaches its climax, Ossoff has been quietly building a formidable war chest that will give him a significant fundraising advantage in the general election. The president's endorsement has been a coveted prize in GOP primaries, and its impact will be closely watched in Georgia's Senate and gubernatorial runoff elections.
The Trump endorsement comes on the heels of a mixed bag of results for the president's favored candidates in recent GOP primaries. While his endorsed candidates have enjoyed success in some states, others have fallen short, highlighting the unpredictable nature of Republican primaries.
In a related development, Trump's backing has also been tested in Georgia's gubernatorial runoff, where Lt. Gov. Burt Jones is vying with billionaire businessman Rick Jackson for the GOP nomination to succeed Kemp.
