President Trump campaigned in Georgia on July 22 at Wheeler High School in Marietta, where he appeared alongside Republican U.S. Senate nominee Mike Collins as the congressman seeks to unseat Democratic incumbent Jon Ossoff in one of the nation’s most competitive races.
Collins won the Republican primary runoff on June 16 with Trump’s backing, defeating former Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley, who had the support of Governor Brian Kemp. Trump had issued a last-minute endorsement of Collins on June 14, calling him a close ally.
The White House said Trump would use the Marietta event to promote his administration’s pro-family policies, including tax breaks and savings accounts for children. Collins was expected to join Trump on stage, cementing the president’s commitment to campaign for him in the general election.
In a Fox News poll released in early July, Ossoff led Collins by 13 percentage points among registered voters. Collins, 59, has aligned himself closely with Trump on election security issues, telling CNN in June that he believes Trump won Georgia in 2020—a claim contradicted by multiple state recounts. Ossoff has challenged Collins and Trump over this issue, calling Trump “the world’s most famous sore loser.”
Some Georgia Republicans have expressed concern that Trump’s continued focus on 2020 election fraud claims could backfire. Since January, Trump has questioned Georgia’s voting system at least nine times during public events and interviews, according to Reuters. Eric Johnson, former Republican leader of the Georgia Senate and state chair for RightCount, a conservative group defending state-administered elections, warned that such messaging could suppress Republican turnout. “President Trump’s supporters are less likely to turn out when he casts doubt on the validity of the election process,” Johnson said.
Collins has pushed back on such concerns, emphasizing election integrity. “Ensuring voters are eligible and, in fact, are American citizens is vital to our democracy, and something that the vast majority of Americans support,” he said in a statement. Ossoff’s campaign, however, argued that Trump’s visit would only mobilize voters against him, saying the president would “repeat his debunked election conspiracies.”
Sources
- Reuters — Trump’s July 22 Georgia campaign visit, Collins’ expected appearance, Republican concerns about election fraud rhetoric, and polling data showing Ossoff’s lead
- NBC News — Collins’ June 16 runoff victory over Derek Dooley
- Democracy Docket — Collins’ June 16 primary runoff win and his background as an election denier
- Georgia Recorder — Trump’s June 14 endorsement of Collins in the runoff
- CBS News — Confirmation of Trump’s visit to Wheeler High School in Cobb County on July 22
- Atlanta News First — Details of Trump’s Marietta visit and expected remarks on education and affordability
