Poll: Mike Collins Leads Derek Dooley in Georgia Runoff Race

Republican primary challenger Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA) is leading fellow Republican Derek Dooley, a former football coach, in the Georgia runoff race, according to a survey from JMC Analytics and Polling.

The survey analyzed the race ahead of the June 16 runoff after no candidate garnered 50 percent of vote during the primary election. Both Collins and Dooley advanced to the runoff, garnering 40.5 percent of the vote and 30.2 percent of the vote, respectively.

A recent survey examining the upcoming runoff showed Collins solidly leading by a 14 point margin. He saw 50 percent of the vote, while Dooley garnered 36 percent. However, 15 percent remain undecided – a slightly larger percentage than their gap.

However, Collins leads among the undecided voters. Those respondents were asked, “Given that you are undecided in the runoff race for Senate, which candidate are you leaning towards supporting?” Thirty-nine percent chose Collins, and 27 percent chose Dooley. Nearly one-third of undecided voters, 34 percent, said they are still undecided.

The survey also found that Collins has a higher favorability rating than Dooley. Sixty one percent said they have either a very or somewhat favorable view of Collins, while 50 percent said the same of Dooley.

Further, the issue of border security and illegal immigration stands as a top three issue, per the survey, which could spell more trouble for Dooley, given his past remarks.

He recently came under fire after suggesting that he “very sensitive” to “both sides on the issue,” hinting that he supports allowing illegal migrants to stay in the United States.

When asked about amnesty and a path forward for illegal migrants, Dooley said, “I think, obviously, we think they should have some penalty because they came here the wrong way.” However, he did not concisely describe the potential penalty.

“That’s something we can all talk about and debate on what’s the right way – whether it’s a payment or whether it’s community service or whatever it is, but they need to pay some penalty for coming here the wrong way,” he said.

Dooley continued, “But I think it’s also that … I know they want to feel like that they don’t have to look over their shoulder every five minutes, you know, and worry about us taking them out of the country,” he said, adding, “and so I’m very sensitive [to] both sides on the issue.”

Collins, the author of the Laken Riley Act, has made clear that he does not hold pro-amnesty views.

“The guy who has the same immigration policy as Jon Ossoff shouldn’t be who we replace Jon Ossoff with,” Collins said, sharing Dooley’s pro-amnesty clip.

The survey also found that a plurality of those surveyed saying that a “Trump/MAGA Republican” best describes their type of political views.

It was taken May 26 – 27, 2026, among 600 respondents and has a +/- 4 percent margin of error.  Another survey offered a similar view of the race, with Collins clearly leading Dooley.

Both candidates hope to challenge Democrat Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA), as Democrats hope to retake the majority in the Senate – an uphill battle, as a recent nonpartisan analysis forecasts that Democrats will fail to do so.