ATLANTA — If a blue wave washes across the country in November, Republicans vying for one of Georgia’s U.S. Senate seats say they can stand as a bulwark for the GOP.
Two incumbent congressmen squared off against three challengers in a debate last week, as they attempted to differentiate themselves ahead of the May 19 primary election.
Whoever emerges will face incumbent Sen. Jon Ossoff in November, a prodigious fundraiser. At stake is continued GOP control of the chamber, which works with the U.S. House to pass laws and has unique authority to confirm presidential appointments, including Cabinet secretaries, Supreme Court justices, and federal judges.
The ability to prevail over Ossoff was a key issue in the April 26 debate hosted by the Atlanta Press Club and Georgia Public Broadcasting.
U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, R-St. Simons, repeatedly attacked U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, R-Jackson, over a House probe into allegations that Collins had used government funds to benefit a top aide.
“Mike, if you’re our candidate, we lose,” Carter said.
Collins called it “a total nothingburger,” saying the probe had been triggered by an anonymous complaint.
Collins countered that Carter’s political career had been “littered with complaints, crooked land deals,” urging viewers to “Google Buddy Carter ethics FBI.”
As those two dueled, Derek Dooley, the former college football coach backed by Gov. Brian Kemp, sought to appeal to both conservative and mainstream voters.
Dooley, a political newcomer, pledged to leave office after serving two six-year terms and said Congress needs new blood.
“Donald Trump is doing a great job trying to make change. He closed the border, for example. We’re getting rid of a lot of the bad guys, but what has Congress done to codify this?” Dooley said. “And this is my point why we need new leadership.”
The two other Republicans on the soundstage — John Coyne, a former Democrat, and Jonathan McColumn, a retired brigadier general — sought to boost their name recognition.
Coyne, who garnered 4% of the vote in the 2016 Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate described himself as a centrist. He said population control is a top concern.
“We’ve got to control the number of people in this country,” he said. “I know that the president has the border locked down now. But what happens if a Democrat gets in in 2028? They’ll be right back where we started before.”
McColumn said he would seek to make health care more available by spurring interstate competition among insurers. He criticized incumbent Republicans as undisciplined.
“The Republican Party often acts individually and we’re not connected,” he said. “I would love to see the party come together more to discuss things behind closed doors before coming out and making clear determinations so that you can speak with one voice.”
Both Carter and Collins tried to appeal to Trump’s supporters by praising the president.
“He’s made the world safer,” said Carter, pointing to Trump’s military strikes against Iran. He said Trump had also made the country more prosperous. “We’ve got to make sure that we continue with these policies, America First policies, that President Trump has started,” he said.
Carter also pointed to his support for Trump’s desire to annex Greenland, citing its strategic location and mineral wealth.
Collins pointed to the passage of his Laken Riley Act, signed into law by Trump last year.
The legislation was a reaction to the murder of a University of Georgia student, and it aligned with the president’s immigration enforcement policies.
Jose Ibarra, a 26-year-old undocumented immigrant from Venezuela, was sentenced to life in prison for the crime. The law mandates federal detention for certain undocumented immigrants accused of specified crimes.
Immigration is a major issue for Republican voters that may be outweighed by abortion.
McColumn pointed to his “biblical” views on that issue, and Carter said he felt strongly about being “pro-life.” But when Dooley was asked whether he supported Georgia’s ban on abortion once a fetal heartbeat is detected, he gave an indirect answer until his questioner pinned him down.
“The heartbeat bill has been the law of the land,” Dooley said, adding that the federal government shouldn’t intervene.
When asked again whether he supported Georgia’s ban, Dooley said, “it’s not the way I would have written it.” He reiterated that the U.S. Senate and federal government should leave the issue to states.
Watch the debate at www.gpb.org/events/news/2026/04/26/georgia-us-senate-republicans-atlanta-press-club-debate
