Mike Collins is running for the Senate. Who will replace him in the House?

Just three years ago, Mike Collins defeated seven Republican rivals to win the GOP nomination for a northeast Georgia U.S. House seat. Now his decision to run for the U.S. Senate is setting off a scramble to succeed him.

The open seat spans deeply Republican turf from Atlanta’s eastern suburbs to the South Carolina line. That means the real battle will unfold in the GOP primary.

The most prominent GOP candidate expected to run so far is state Rep. Houston Gaines of Athens, an ally of Gov. Brian Kemp and a rising Republican with roughly $900,000 banked in his account. He’s already quietly worked to rack up endorsements across the district.

But other familiar names could jump in. Former U.S. Rep. Paul Broun, who lost a Senate race in 2014 and finished fourth in the 2022 primary that Collins won, said he’s “consulting with his wife and friends” before making a decision.

One name you won’t see in the mix: state Sen. Brian Strickland. He’s running to succeed Attorney General Chris Carr and said he’s not switching races.

“Republicans need him as nominee for AG much more than for a safely Republican seat in Congress,” said Strickland aide Jantz Womack. “He’s passionate about serving as chief law enforcement officer to keep our communities safe.”

Democrat Lexy Doherty, an educational consultant who lost to Collins last year and is waging another campaign for the seat in 2026, said she welcomed the race’s changed landscape.

“We need our government to work with us — not against us — to make a better life for us and our families,” she said. “And all we’ve gotten this year from extremists like Collins is chaos and corruption while the ultra-rich take tighter control of Washington.”

Things to know

Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC

Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC

Good morning! We’re 24 days away from the filing deadline for municipal election candidates in Georgia.

Here are three other things to know for today:

Website attack

Credit: Courtesy photos

Credit: Courtesy photos

Things are heating up in the special election to replace former Republican state Sen. Brandon Beach in Senate District 21.

With just under a month to go until the Aug. 26 special election, a website has appeared throwing the equivalent of the political kitchen sink against Republican candidate Jason Dickerson.

It accuses him of not paying his taxes, pocketing taxpayer money from a COVID-era government loan and even threatening to shoot his neighbor’s dog.

Dickerson declined to comment on the website’s accusations, saying he “could refute everything on it but there is no need to, they’re going to spin it the way they want to.”

But he had plenty to say about who he believes is behind the attack: fellow Republican candidate Steve West, a former Cherokee County commissioner.

The website says it is paid for by American Made Independent Committee, Inc. Financial disclosure documents show the bulk of the committee’s funding comes from a handful of Georgia developers.

“This is how politics goes,” Dickerson said. “(West) got his developer buddies to start putting out hit pieces on us.”

We asked West about it, and he said it was “the first I’ve seen of the site and have no knowledge of who’s behind it or the information on it.”

“I’ve been running a positive campaign and I think people have appreciated it,” he said.

Collins’ first day

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

U.S. Rep. Mike Collins said his campaign for the U.S. Senate raised $220,000 in the first 12 hours after announcing his candidacy.

We can’t verify that number until Collins, a Republican from Jackson, files his first campaign finance report in mid-October. But it’s the type of haul that Collins hopes scares his GOP primary competition, which consists of fellow U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter and in the coming days could also include former college football coach Derek Dooley.

“It’s been a fast-paced 12 hrs,” Collins wrote on X. “Wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Meanwhile, Carter’s campaign said he has raised about $1.1 million over the last three months and loaned himself another $2 million.

Democratic incumbent U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff reacted the news of yet another Republican entering the race in hopes of unseating him with this comment: “All challengers are welcome.”

Gambling arguments

A panel of powerful lawmakers this week kicked off their latest effort to expand legalized gambling in Georgia, convening a study committee in Watkinsville to lay the groundwork for potentially putting the issue before voters in the 2026 midterms.

The first hearing of the House Study Committee on Gaming consists of most of the chamber’s powerful voices in favor of putting a constitutional amendment before the voters. That includes influential chairs of other committees, including Matt Hatchett, R-Dublin, Alan Powell, R-Hartwell, and Chuck Martin, R-Alpharetta.

The pressure points, however, remained the same: God and money.

Mike Griffin, lobbyist for the Georgia Baptist Convention, quoted from the Book of Romans to explain why he believed government-sanctioned gambling would allow something evil in the name of something good — mainly, increased state funding for things like children’s education.

“I know none of you would be for legalizing fentanyl if you thought it might would help education,” he said. “Just because we’re going to get revenue doesn’t mean it’s going to actually help, generally, our society.”

Meanwhile, Ed Clark, president of EchoPark Speedway, told lawmakers about their long sought plans to build a resort anchored by a casino at the track.

“New business means new jobs,” he said, saying the project would create up to 3,000 jobs.

‘Trailblazer’

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Gov. Brian Kemp’s push to overhaul Georgia’s judicial system passed by just one vote in the state House of Representatives earlier this year. But as a major corporate advocacy group noted this morning, a win is a win no matter how close the score.

The American Tort Reform Association added Georgia to its list of “Tort Reform Trailblazers” today as part of its assessment of state Legislatures’ willingness to limit large jury awards in certain types of civil lawsuits.

Georgia joins Alabama, Indiana and West Virginia on the list.

“Georgia’s strong reforms are a model for the nation,” said Tiger Joyce, the association’s president.

Georgia’s new law was sold on containing insurance premiums by limiting when businesses can be sued for injuries that occurred on their property and allowing plaintiffs to present jurors with actual medial costs instead of initial bills, which can sometimes include inflated charges.

But the impact on insurance premiums remains to be seen. House Speaker Jon Burns created a legislative penal to study how insurance rates are set, indicating more legislation could come next year.

Mailed in

Credit: Adam Beam/AJC

Credit: Adam Beam/AJC

Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is moving ahead with the latest phase of Georgia’s voter roll audit, announcing this morning that his office completed a mailing to more than 218,000 voters.

The postcards were sent to registrants listed as active but who haven’t voted or updated their information in at least five years.

Voters who don’t respond will be shifted to inactive status — and if they remain inactive through the 2026 and 2028 elections, they’ll be eligible for removal ahead of 2029. Raffensperger called the outreach a routine part of list maintenance required by state and federal law.

Listen up

Credit: Courtesy photo, AJC

Credit: Courtesy photo, AJC

Today on the “Politically Georgia” podcast hosts Greg Bluestein and Tia Mitchell break down Gov. Brian Kemp’s decision to back Derek Dooley in the U.S. Senate race. Then Greg talks with AJC higher education reporter Jason Armesto about changes Georgia colleges face under President Donald Trump’s new tax and spending law.

You can listen and subscribe to the show for free at Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

Have a question or comment for the show? Email us at politicallygeorgia@ajc.com or give us a call at 770-810-5297 and you could be featured on a future episode.

Today in Washington

Credit: Jacquelyn Martin/AP

Credit: Jacquelyn Martin/AP

Happenings:

Shoutouts

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Credit: Courtesy photo

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Want a birthday shoutout in the Politically Georgia newsletter? There’s a form for that. Click here to submit the shoutouts. It’s not just birthdays. We’re also interested in new jobs, engagements, birth announcements, etc.

Before you go

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

State Rep. Alan Powell attended a legislative hearing on Monday, but his mind might have been elsewhere. “I live on Lake Hartwell, and this might be the first time I’ve put on a pair of long pants in about three months,” he said.

That’ll do it for us today. As always, you can send your best scoops, gossip and insider info to greg.bluestein@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com, patricia.murphy@ajc.com and adam.beam@ajc.com.