Collins has “already framed the race as a battle for Trump’s agenda”
Georgia Republicans are set for a long, messy, chaotic GOP U.S. Senate primary now that Rep. Mike Collins has made his entrance into the race official, and after Gov. Brian Kemp announced his refusal to support anyone besides failed and fired former Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley.
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AJC: Brian Kemp hoped to avoid a messy Senate primary. It might happen anyway.
KEY POINTS:
- Gov. Brian Kemp desperately wanted to avoid another U.S. Senate race in Georgia that doubled as a proxy fight with President Donald Trump.
- But with U.S. Rep. Mike Collins’ campaign launch this morning, that fear is fast becoming reality.
- On one side are Collins and U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, both pitching themselves as unapologetic MAGA warriors.
- On the other is former college football coach Derek Dooley, a Kemp ally and political newcomer […]
- A contentious primary isn’t what Kemp envisioned […]
- He was determined to avoid the chaos of 2020, when the GOP infighting over Trump’s favor helped drag Republicans to the party’s extremes and ultimately cost them control of the Senate.
- But Dooley’s promise of a fresh approach to the campaign has divided activists and failed to clear the field.
- And some party heavyweights are wondering why Kemp isn’t going with a better-known, battle-tested candidate.
- Collins, in particular, presents a unique challenge. He’s a MAGA-aligned firebrand who checks many of the same boxes as [Marjorie Taylor] Greene.
- And he’s already framed the race as a battle for Trump’s agenda, practically daring Kemp’s allies to try to stop him.