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More From Georgia & Redistricting Whiplash

Things get even uglier in the G.O.P. primary to unseat Sen. Jon Ossoff, plus more developments in the gerrymandering wars.

The Republican establishment was thrilled that Collins jettisoned his longtime aide, who people considered a liability given his history of run-ins with the law and the fact that he’s facing an ongoing House Ethics inquiry from his time as Collins’s House chief of staff. Photo: Jason Allen / Getty Images
Leigh Ann Caldwell
May 26, 2026

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In the week since the Georgia Republican primary went to a runoff between Rep. Mike Collins and former football coach Derek Dooley, the race has gotten even uglier and more intense. But last Friday, it turned downright nasty. Collins fired his campaign advisor, Brandon Phillips, for sending a now-deleted, over-the-line tweet about the wife of one of Dooley’s consultants, who wrote a book about being assaulted by former NBC Today host Matt Lauer. (Phillips is no longer employed by Collins’s House office, either, a person familiar with his employment said.)