Senator Jon Ossoff is seeking a second term in Georgia after Governor Brian Kemp declined to run in May 2025. US Representative Mike Collins won the Republican nomination in a 16 June 2026 runoff against Derek Dooley, whom Kemp had backed, after Trump endorsed Collins two days earlier. They face each other in the November election.
As of 2 November 2026, Ossoff and Collins are contesting the Senate seat and the scheduled early voting period has ended. Georgia requires a majority to win. If no candidate wins a majority, the top two advance to a runoff on 1 December.
Main story: 5 May 2025 to 13 October 2026. The full timeline also includes labelled context or related events.
16 events shown
Jon Ossoff won his Senate seat in the January 2021 runoff. Ossoff and Raphael Warnock won Georgia's two Senate races that cycle, the Associated Press reported.
Ossoff opened his campaign for a second term at a rally in March 2025 at which he criticised President Donald Trump, the Associated Press reported.
An attributed statement records what the speaker said.
Governor Brian Kemp, who is term limited, said on social media that he would not run for the Senate in 2026. He said he had spoken with President Trump and Senate leadership and would help secure a strong Republican nominee, the Associated Press reported.
An attributed statement records what the speaker said.
US Representative Buddy Carter became the first Republican candidate to enter the race, attacking Ossoff's record on the border, the Associated Press reported.
Derek Dooley, a former University of Tennessee football coach and first time candidate, launched a Senate campaign with a "Georgia First" message, ABC News and the Associated Press reported. The AP reported that Kemp had told Collins and others on 24 July 2025 that he would support Dooley.
US Representative Mike Collins, who represents Georgia's 10th district, held his Senate campaign kickoff rally in Jackson, Butts County, emphasising his support for Trump's policies and his sponsorship of the Laken Riley Act, Georgia Public Broadcasting reported. FOX 5 Atlanta also reported the Butts County rally as his official launch.
Kemp endorsed Dooley at a tailgate in Athens before a University of Georgia football game, arguing that an outsider without congressional experience was best placed to challenge Ossoff, the Associated Press reported. Collins had posted a statement online the previous day pushing back against Kemp's reasoning. Collins, Carter and the activist Reagan Box remained in the field.
An attributed statement records what the speaker said.
The Libertarian Party of Georgia said Allen Buckley had completed qualifying paperwork with the Secretary of State to run for the Senate, but that ballot access still depended on a petition due by 14 July.
A filing records a party's position. It is not by itself a finding.
No candidate won a majority in the five-candidate Republican primary. Collins led with about 41 percent, followed by Dooley with about 30 percent and Carter with about 25 percent, the Associated Press reported. Collins and Dooley advanced to the runoff.
Trump endorsed Collins two days before the runoff, the Associated Press reported. Kemp backed Dooley, putting the president and the governor behind different candidates.
An attributed statement records what the speaker said.
Collins defeated Dooley by 390,174 votes to 312,339 in the original count, according to the Secretary of State. The Associated Press called the race for Collins, who said Republicans were united around defeating Ossoff.
A Secretary of State comparison of original and audit counts for the 16 June runoff, last updated 8 July, showed 390,174 votes for Collins in both counts and 312,339 for Dooley in the original count against 312,340 in the audit.
The Libertarian Party of Georgia said it had submitted a qualifying petition but that its candidates would not appear on the November ballot. It blamed the signature requirement and said it would refocus on local elections.
A filing records a party's position. It is not by itself a finding.
Ossoff and Collins met for their first general election debate. Ossoff criticised tariffs, health care cuts and the Iran war. Collins defended tariffs and tax cuts and criticised Ossoff's border policies, according to Georgia Recorder reporting republished by the Cobb County Courier and FOX 5 Atlanta.
An attributed statement records what the speaker said.
Ossoff and Collins debated at the Atlanta Press Club. Ossoff pledged to serve a full Senate term if re-elected, GPB and Axios reported.
An attributed statement records what the speaker said.
Georgia's official election calendar scheduled early in-person voting from 13 to 30 October. Atlanta News First reported voting began on 13 October.
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Associated Press (via PBS NewsHour) · pbs.org
Atlanta News First · atlantanewsfirst.com
Axios · axios.comCoverage through 13 October 2026. Editorial review: 2 November 2026. Spotted an error? See corrections. Copyright concerns: report an asset. Every event links to its sources. Source type does not establish whether a claim is true.