Representative Mike Collins, a Republican, held Senator Jon Ossoff to a tie in the latest poll of the Georgia Senate race released this week.
Devon Cruz, senior communications advisor for the Democratic Party of Georgia, told Newsweek that whoever emerges from the GOP primary will be “badly bruised heading into next year’s general election.” Meanwhile, the Collins campaign wrote in a statement to Newsweek the poll shows that he “clearly” has “the energy of the base” ahead of what could be a competitive GOP primary.
Newsweek also reached out to Republican candidates Representative Buddy Carter and Derek Dooley for comment.
Why It Matters
The Georgia Senate race is expected to be one of the most competitive races of the midterms. Along with Michigan, it is one of two states that have a Democratic incumbent that was one by President Donald Trump that is up next year, giving Republicans hopes that they could make the race competitive. However, Democrats are optimistic that a left-leaning national environment could bolster Ossoff, as the party in the White House historically losses, not gains, Senate seats in the midterms.
What to Know
The new poll from Quantus Insights found that Collins and Ossoff each had support from 38 percent of respondents in a head-to-head matchup.
Collins fared better against Ossoff than other Republican candidates. Ossoff led Carter by three points (40 percent to 37 percent) and Dooley by seven points (42 percent to 35 percent).
It found that a plurality of Georgians—47 percent—approve of Ossoff’s job performance, while 37 percent disapprove. It also found that Republicans view Collins as the best candidate to defeat Ossoff. Twenty-five percent said they believed Collins would be he strongest candidate, while 20 percent believed Carter would be the best candidate to defeat him. Only seven percent said the same for Dooley.
It surveyed 624 registered and likely voters from September 9 to September 122, 2025 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.3 percentage points.
Ossoff was first elected in 2021, unseating Republican David Perdue in a runoff election.
Collins is a second-term Republican congressman who has highlighted his support for Trump in the early weeks of his campaign. Carter represents Savannah and other coastal areas in Congress. Dooley, the former University of Tennessee football coach, is more of a political newcomer but has earned support from Governor Brian Kemp.
Trump, whose endorsement is key in GOP primaries, has not said who he would support.
Democrats must hold onto the Georgia seat if they want to flip the majority in the Senate as they are facing a challenging map. In addition to holding seats like Georgia and Michigan, North Carolina, which Trump carried by three points, and Maine, which he lost by seven points, are other must-win states. They will also need to win double-digit Trump states like Texas and Iowa to secure a majority.
Georgia Senate Race: What Other Polls Show
A TIPP Insight poll from earlier this year showed Ossoff with a lead over other Republicans.
That poll showed him leading Carter by two points (45 percent to 43 percent), Collins by one point (45 percent to 44 percent) and Dooley by three points (45 percent to 42 percent) among midterm voters.
The poll surveyed 2,956 registered voters from July 28 to August 1, 2025, and had a credibility interval of plus or minus 1.8 percentage points.
Meanwhile, a Cygnal poll showed Ossoff leading Carter by about seven points (49 percent to 42 percent) and Dooley by nine points (50 percent to 41 percent). That poll did not ask about Collins. It surveyed 610 likely voters from June 16 to June 18, 2025, and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.92 percentage points.
What People Are Saying
The Collins campaign told Newsweek: “Despite the other Republican candidates spending almost $4M combined on statewide media and digital buys, the energy of the base is clearly with Mike Collins because they want a conservative workhorse who can win in the general.”
Cruz told Newsweek: “”Georgia Republicans are in for a messy, chaotic primary that leaves the eventual nominee badly bruised heading into next year’s general election. As Buddy Carter, Mike Collins, and Derek Dooley launch constant attacks on one another, Sen. Ossoff is building massive momentum to take on whichever Donald Trump loyalist limps over the finish line.”
Quantus Insights wrote in the poll: “The economy stands above every other issue like an 800-pound gorilla. A majority, 53 percent, call the cost of living and inflation the greatest problem facing the state. Groceries, housing, and taxes are the pain points. When asked what the next senator should do to cut costs, the answer was not new programs or new agencies, but one thing: cut taxes on working families. The people want relief, not rhetoric. The Republican who speaks directly to this burden will have an open field.”
What Happens Next
Candidates may still jump in over the coming months, and more polling could come out and indicate how competitive the race may become. The Cook Political Report currently rates Georgia as a toss-up for 2026.