Georgia’s 2026 Senate race is shaping up to be a key opportunity to flip a blue seat red. Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) is only in the Senate because of the quirks of the 2020 election, so on paper it’s a no-brainer that he’s vulnerable.
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Two of the biggest names on the shortlist to challenge Ossoff have said no. Gov. Brian Kemp (R-Ga.), who still enjoys high approval ratings, is sitting this one out, while Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) said that she doesn’t want to serve in the Senate. Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) has also declined to run.
As of this writing, three candidates have declared for the Republican nomination. Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.) and Georgia’s Insurance Commissioner John King have announced, and a horse trainer named Reagan Box announced her candidacy as well. (I’ve never heard of Box, but I asked my sister-in-law and niece, who are horse people, about her. I didn’t hear back from either of them in time to publish this column.) Four other people have filed paperwork to run, according to Wikipedia, but I’m not familiar with any of them.
But who stands the best chance of beating Ossoff? Right now, a Cygnal survey of 2024 general election voters signifies that the best candidate is someone who’s not even in the race.
The survey shows that Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.) has 43.3% support in a head-to-head matchup against Ossoff compared to the Democrat’s 45.7% support. While that’s underwater right now, it’s well within the poll’s 3.41% margin of error, and it’s an encouraging sign. Collins’ numbers would likely rise if he were to declare his candidacy.
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🚨🚨NEW POLL: @MikeCollinsGA within striking distance of Jon Ossoff in latest #GASEN poll. Has highest level of definite support among Republicans. #gapol pic.twitter.com/FO0MvDD8gS
— Corbin Keown (@keown_corbin) May 22, 2025
Additionally, a recent Trafalgar poll asked this question of likely GOP primary voters: “And if these were the choices in Republican Primary for US Senate, for whom would you vote?” Collins leads mightily with 45.6% compared to Carter’s 22.5%, King’s 11%, and Rep. Rich McCormick’s 20.9%.
Side note: I think the world of King, who is Georgia’s first Hispanic statewide elected official and an honorable man, and I have tremendous respect for McCormick, who is an ER doctor and Marine veteran. I’m lukewarm on Carter at best.
Collins “lines up on the Venn diagram,” a top Georgia Republican strategist told Axios earlier this month. “He’s at every [Trump] rally. He’s a trucker, so he has a blue-collar business background and would be the firebrand, workhorse candidate.”
Related: The GOP Can Increase Its Margins in the Senate in ’26 and ’28. It Starts With These Two Seats.
Full disclosure: Collins is my congressman, and I’ve been a massive fan of his since he first ran in 2022. He might be the hardest-working man in Congress. We’re talking about the man who sponsored and championed the Laken Riley Act. He went across the aisle and across chambers to rally Democrats and Republicans in both houses of Congress to get the bill passed.
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Collins has been fully supportive of President Donald Trump and his agenda, and his hard work on the Laken Riley Act gave him crucial name ID and credibility within the MAGA camp. His relationship with Kemp, a political power player in Georgia, is strong; Collins has advocated for similar national tort reform to Kemp’s statewide efforts, which resulted in successful legislation.
He’s been working on other important priorities as well. He’s been working to improve the nation’s port infrastructure, including key funding for the Port of Brunswick in coastal Georgia. He has also signed a letter to the Department of Justice calling for a task force to crack down on staged accident fraud. Those are just this month’s major initiatives that Collins has worked on.
He’s an essential follow on social media, too. He shares fun and important historical trivia, and his memes are legendary.
Cool shell formation on my beach walk. pic.twitter.com/w1nwOljrZO
— Rep. Mike Collins (@RepMikeCollins) May 16, 2025
I’ve seen firsthand what Collins has done for this district, the state of Georgia, and the nation, and he’s an incredible asset to the conservative movement and to the U.S. as a whole. The enthusiastic crowd at his inaugural Surf & Turf dinner and rally at the beginning of this month in my hometown demonstrated how much hardworking Americans appreciate his efforts — and the phalanx of protesters at the entrance to the venue showed how much he needles the left.
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Selfishly, I would love it if Collins stayed in the district, but I know what an asset he could be in the Senate if he chooses to run. Getting rid of Ossoff is a priority, but replacing him with a solid and effective conservative is even better.
Could Mike Collins be the best man to beat Ossoff? You’d have a hard time convincing me otherwise.
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