Collins Leading in Poll to Face Ossoff

A new Georgia poll finds Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., leading among top GOP contenders when faced in a matchup against incumbent Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga.

The polling from Quantus Insights surveyed 624 registered likely voters from Georgia from Sept. 9 to Sept. 12. The survey found Collins tied with Ossoff at 38%. Meanwhile, the Democrat senator led another Republican candidate, Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga., 40% to 37%, and also led fellow GOP contender Derek Dooley, a former college football coach, 42% to 35%. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.3% at 95% confidence.

Georgia is widely considered a swing state and was won by Donald Trump in the 2024 president election. That has led to Republican hopes that it can be a GOP Senate pickup in the 2026 midterm elections.

Ossoff is a freshman senator, having been elected in 2021 in a runoff against then-Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga.

The two-term Collins, 58, has served in the House of Representatives since 2023. He is known for his legislative work combating drug addiction and crime. He was the sponsor of the bipartisan TRANQ Act, which was signed into law by then-President Joe Biden, and sought to bolster research on xylazine and synthetic opioids that have harmed countless Americans.

The Georgia congressman also was the driving force in the House for the Laken Riley Act, sponsoring the legislation signed by Trump that directs U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to arrest and detain illegal aliens charged with committing certain serious crimes. The legislation was named for Laken Riley, a 22-year-old Augusta University student sexually assaulted and slain by an illegal immigrant in February 2024.

Collins is the founder of a trucking business, which has employed more than 100 Georgians, and is a 1990 graduate of Georgia State University, where he studied business. The Georgia congressman has also held leadership roles in one of Georgia’s largest credit unions and in his local chamber of commerce.

In the GOP primary election in Georgia, which will be held on May 19, 2026, Collins was found in the new poll to be leading the field, garnering 25% compared with Carter’s 20% and Dooley’s 7%. Another poll conducted in late July and early August also showed Collins leading the GOP field with the Georgia congressman marshaling 27% of potential Republican midterm voters compared with Carter’s 20% and Dooley’s 8%.

In recent weeks, Collins has implemented a comprehensive grassroots ground game, seeking to bring out low-propensity voters in all 159 of Georgia’s counties. He faces a formidable opponent in Carter, who has lent his campaign $2 million for the race.

Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has reportedly backed Dooley, who is a family friend of the governor and the son of famed University of Georgia football coach Vince Dooley.

“The numbers don’t lie: In two consecutive polls, and despite other Republican candidates spending nearly $4 million combined on statewide media and digital buys, Mike Collins remains the clear front-runner and the strongest chance for Republicans to defeat Jon Ossoff,” a Collins campaign spokesman said.

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