Republican Senate Candidates Face Off in Atlanta Debate as Early Voting Begins
Five GOP candidates, including congressmen Mike Collins and Buddy Carter, faced off in a primary debate as early voting began for Georgia’s May 19 Senate primary.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA — Five Republican candidates competing for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff participated in a primary debate Sunday evening, making their final appeals to voters as early voting began Monday for the May 19 primaries.
The debate, hosted at Georgia Public Broadcasting as part of the Atlanta Press Club’s Loudermilk-Young Debate Series, featured frontrunners Congressman Mike Collins, Congressman Buddy Carter, and former football coach Derek Dooley. Also participating were Jonathan McColumn, a pastor and retired brigadier general in the U.S. Army reserve, and real estate developer John Coyne.
The May 19 primaries will determine the Democratic and Republican party candidates for November’s general election.
Dooley Criticizes Congressional Leadership
Former coach Derek Dooley, son of legendary University of Georgia football coach Vince Dooley, focused his attacks on Congress as an institution rather than targeting his Republican opponents directly during the hour-long debate.
“It’s time we start sending a different kind of leadership to Washington, because Congress is not working for the people the way it used to,” Dooley said. “We’ve seen a rise in careerism. We’ve seen a rise in corruption, but mostly it’s the inaction, where we’re yelling and screaming, and we’re not working together to deliver results for the people of Georgia.”
Dooley spent his career in the coaching field and has positioned himself as an outsider candidate distinct from the two sitting congressmen in the race.
Early Voting Begins Statewide
Georgia voters can now cast ballots early through May 16 for the Republican and Democratic primary elections. The primaries will determine which candidates advance to face each other in the November general election.
The Republican primary winner will challenge incumbent Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff, who is seeking his second term in the Senate. Ossoff won his seat in a 2021 special election runoff.
Debate Coverage and Access
The full hour-long debate, along with other 2026 primary debates, is available for viewing on the Atlanta Press Club’s YouTube Channel, according to the Atlanta Press Club.
The debate took place at Georgia Public Broadcasting’s studios in Midtown Atlanta, providing voters across the state an opportunity to compare the candidates’ positions and qualifications ahead of the primary election.
With early voting now underway, the five Republican candidates have less than three weeks to make their case to Georgia voters before the May 19 primary determines which candidate will represent the party in November’s general election against Ossoff.
