In the same post, Trump wrote, “I don’t know Derek Dooley, and neither does anyone else,” before once again pushing the lie that his presidential campaign won the state in 2020. Despite sharing admiration for Trump, Dooley responded to the endorsement by countering on social media that “a vote for Mike Collins is a vote for Jon Ossoff.”
Even before Trump’s runoff endorsement, Collins appeared well positioned to make it to November despite an Office of Congressional Conduct probe into his office’s potential misuse of resources that the Republican has referred to as a “nothing burger.” His social media tone, which includes severely downplaying the U.S. Capitol attack where pro-Trump rioters injured law enforcement, gives credence to the president’s view of him as a “a true Friend, Fighter, and WARRIOR.” It also spotlights a few of the ample vulnerabilities for a statewide candidate coming from a reliably red congressional district.
The worries are compounded by the bigger picture: Democrats now have a plausible route to retake the Senate in November, even though they will need the races to go almost perfectly to reclaim the majority. That once seemed far-fetched, but a clearer path has emerged in recent months as competitive races have opened up across presidential battlegrounds and more right-leaning states scattered around the country. Holding Georgia would be practically essential to any such scenario — and Ossoff’s standing gives him a significant early advantage in making that case.
Ossoff’s own political rise has been unlikely. He lost a close 2017 special election for a House seat, then ran for Senate in 2020, trailing Republican incumbent David Perdue when the votes were counted in November. But because neither candidate crossed the majority threshold, the race went to a runoff — and Ossoff won.
American politics, especially in the Trump era, can change quickly, however, and there is still plenty of time for momentum to shift before November, especially in a place with vast national influence like Georgia.
This race, like so many others over the past decade, has many forces in the mix. But no matter who is on the ballot, it all ties back to the man in the White House. For the Republicans in Georgia, Trump is the presence they covet and concern themselves with. And for the Democrats, he is the throughline for what they see as ailing the nation.
That was true six years ago, and it remains true now. And it may be what matters again — more than anything else — come November.
“He’s a failed president and a national disgrace,” Ossoff said at a recent rally.
Nnamdi Egwuonwu contributed reporting to this article
