Trump's stunning Georgia silence gifts America's 'most endangered Democrat' Jon Ossoff a vital lifeline

By VICTORIA CHURCHILL, US POLITICAL REPORTER Published: 04:06, 20 May 2026 | Updated: 04:07, 20 May 2026 President Trump has devoted this primary election season to gleefully crushing his Republican enemies. But in Georgia - a vitally important swing state for both parties this fall - his conspicuous silence has handed America's most vulnerable Democratic Senator a bit more breathing room. Republican Congressman Mike Collins finished first in Tuesday night's US Senate primary but didn't reach the 50 percent threshold to avoid a runoff.  He'll likely be forced to slug it out with the second-place vote getter, Governor Brian Kemp’s pick, Derek Dooley. Congressman Buddy Carter was tracking in third place, according to late Tuesday returns. And President Trump hasn't tipped his hand on which Republican he favors for the seat.  Meanwhile Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff, sitting on a $32 million war chest, can lie in wait and watch his would-be opponents tear each other apart.   Dooley has been boosted by the state's incumbent governor, Kemp, who has clashed with Trump in the past, while Collins' backers have included a slew of his Capitol Hill colleagues, state legislators, and even former US House Speaker Newt Gingrich. NPR reported Trump hadn't offered an endorsement, 'likely because the race will head to a runoff' - suggesting he wanted to back a winner rather than a crowded field.  President Donald Trump speaks to the media before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House on April 16, 2026 in Washington, DC Senator Jon Ossoff, a Georgia  Democrat, leaves the Democratic senate luncheon in the US Capitol on Tuesday, January 21, 2025 A Georgia Republican strategist told the Washington Times that the Collins campaign actually wanted Dooley to place second, believing Trump would stay on the sidelines if two Congressmen advanced — but would endorse if Dooley made the runoff.  But Collins encapsulated Trump's unpredictability as the results were tabulating.   The vote-leader in the GOP Senate primary said he 'never, ever, ever, ever speak[s] for the president' but looks 'forward to having the right support at the right time when it's necessary.'  The state's senior senator, at just 39, incumbent Democrat Jon Ossoff faces one of the toughest reelection maps in the country.  The Cook Political Report has labeled him the 'most endangered incumbent' of the cycle - a line his own campaign has been running in Google display ads.  The country's most endangered Senate Democrat had attempted to boost his national profile by railing against the so-called 'Epstein Class,' top political and business names that appeared in the files relating to convicted pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein by the US Department of Justice last year. It's a shorthand term that Ossoff has coined to describe the wealthy and powerful, he argues, who have escaped political accountability, and it's become central to his pitch as he fights to hold his Senate seat in 2026. Federal Election Commission records, however, revealed that Ossoff has received over $100,000 from individuals named in the Epstein files between his various campaign accounts. In essence, part of that very Epstein class he decries is funding his bid for another term in power, which could become an issue for him in the November race in his re-election campaign. Collins, a Republican Congressman representing Georgia's 10th District, has not had the easiest campaign, starting from the moment when he announced last year. Georgia's GOP Senate candidates faced off at the Atlanta Press Club Loudermilk-Young primary election debate at Georgia Public Broadcasting, Sunday, April 26, 2026, in Midtown Atlanta Political observers were quick to notice a glaring error in a political advertisement posted to kick off Collins' campaign. 'Georiga, let's ride' the ad posted to X by the Mike Collins War Room account read, including a glaring misspelling of the state of 'Georgia.' Despite that testy launch, Collins ended up as the top vote getter in Tuesday's primary, with about 41 percent.  Georgians have also selected Burt Jones and Rick Jackson to advance in the gubernatorial race runoff as they seek to replace Kemp. Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance-Bottoms is poised to be the Democratic nominee for governor. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. 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