Earlier this week, Georgia GOP U.S. Senate candidates “MAGA warrior” Buddy Carter and MAGA extremist Mike Collins took their intense back-and-forth bickering with each other offline and onto the debate stage after months of a chaotic, “combustible” primary.
The GOP U.S. Senate primary has been riddled with constant infighting between Carter, Collins, and failed, fired, loser football coach Derek Dooley. Three weeks until the May 19th primary, increased attacks are only expected to continue.
Read more below for coverage of Carter and Collins attacking each other:
AJC: Georgia’s Senate GOP debate: A brawl and a balancing act
By: Greg Bluestein | April 27, 2026
- U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter showed off a newly aggressive posture against fellow U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, echoing attack ads he launched last week […]
- Collins was ready.
- “You know, Buddy, I can tell through your voice that you know how the polling is going,” he said […] unloading on Carter as a career politician with an unreliable conservative record.
- “I also find it very embarrassing that you’re out there campaigning as a conservative, but you vote as a liberal,” Collins said. “So if you want a conservative, he’s not your buddy.”
GPB: Georgia U.S. Senate Republican candidates face off in debate
By: Orlando Montoya | April 27, 2026
- The race among Republicans vying to take on Georgia’s incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff is heating up — and two of the candidates traded barbs in a debate Sunday. […]
- With no dominant frontrunner and no endorsement from President Donald Trump in a crowded race, U.S. Reps. Buddy Carter and Mike Collins stood out in the five-man debate by addressing each other. […]
- “I find it ironic that a career politician is talking about ethics,” Collins said [of Carter]. “Your career has been littered with complaints.”
The Hill: Carter, Collins throw elbows in Georgia Senate GOP debate
By: Caroline Vakil | April 27, 2026
- Reps. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.) and Mike Collins (R-Ga.) traded barbs […] during Sunday’s Georgia Senate GOP primary debate — one day before early voting begins.
- Though the debate was mostly cordial, Carter took several swipes at Collins […]
- “You know, Buddy, I can tell through the voice that you know how the polling is going out there,” Collins shot back during the debate […]
- Collins suggested Carter was a hypocrite and “career politician,” noting […] that Carter’s career has “been littered with complaints, crooked land deals.”
- “You’ve even tripled your net worth, and all you got to do is go Google, ‘Buddy Carter Ethics FBI,’ and you’ll see that,” he continued.
USA Today: Georgia Republican candidates hoping to beat Jon Ossoff spar in debate
By: Irene Smith | April 27, 2026
- After months of attacks online and through ads, Carter and Collins went head-to-head in the debate. […]
- “You know Buddy, I can tell through the voice you know how polling is going out there,” Collins responded. […]
- Collins then took on Carter’s voting record.
- “I also find it very embarrassing Buddy that you’re out there campaigning as a conservative but you vote as a liberal,” Collins said. “I mean you voted for gun confiscation and for amnesty for illegals. So if you want a conservative, he’s not your ‘buddy’.”