Gov. Brian Kemp endorses Collins in U.S. Senate bid to unseat Ossoff: "A different direction"

Georgia Rep. Mike Collins received a significant endorsement in his push to unseat Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff in November's election with Gov. Brian Kemp officially backing him.

Kemp previously supported Collins's opponent Derek Dooley in the primary earlier this year. In supporting Dooley, Kemp argued that the race needed an outsider to defeat Ossoff. Ultimately, Collins defeated Dooley 55% to 44% in the June runoff.  

In the recent statement shared by Collins' campaign, the governor said that he and the Republican lawmaker "share a commitment to making Georgia an even better place to live, work, and raise a family."

"Mike has delivered results as a businessman and commonsense leader in Washington, and that's what we need in our next Senator. Jon Ossoff's far-left agenda doesn't represent Georgia values, and the future of our state and country demands a different direction," Kemp said. "I'm proud to endorse Mike Collins for the U.S. Senate, and I know he'll always put Georgia first."

Collins wrote on X that he was grateful to have Kemp's backing, saying that the governor, "has never been afraid of a tough fight, and Georgia is stronger today because he's been willing to take them on."

Collins had previously been endorsed by President Trump during the primary runoff election. 

The race for Georgia's Senate seat is intensifying. Ossoff and Democratic gubernatorial nominee Keisha Lance Bottoms held a joint rally in Athens on Sunday. At that rally, Ossoff called his opponent a bigot "surrounded at work and at home by neo-Nazis and white nationalists."

In a response to Kemp's endorsement, an Ossoff campaign spokesman pointed to Kemp's previous endorsement of Collins' primary opponent, saying that the governor "worked so hard to defeat" him and waited until less than two months before Election Day.

Last week, former Vice President Kamala Harris announced that she would be coming to Georgia for a fundraising event with the Fulton Democratic Party. Ossoff's campaign also confirmed that he would be campaigning with Harris in the weeks ahead of November's midterm election. 

The Cook Political Report has rated the Georgia Senate race as leaning Democrat, while the University of Virginia's Center for Politics rates the race as likely Democrat.