EXCLUSIVE – Georgia Senate candidate Derek Dooley privately acknowledged that President Donald Trump lost Georgia in 2020, according to exclusive audio obtained by the Washington Examiner.
The remark lands just three months before the state’s Republican primary and threatens to deepen divisions in an already volatile race. In a recording from a Feb. 6 campaign meet-and-greet in McRae-Helena, Dooley addressed attendees’ questions about Trump and the 2020 election.
“If you guys remember, this was a time where it was a tough time in Georgia politics back in 2020, 2022, the president lost Georgia,” Dooley said. “He got a little upset with Governor Kemp, and it’s a little bit why we’re in this mess we’re in right now.”
The comment puts Dooley at odds with rivals who have more forcefully echoed Trump’s election claims and underscores a loyalty divide at the center of the crowded Republican primary to take on Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) in 2026.
After being contacted about the audio, a spokesperson for Dooley did not dispute the recording and instead emphasized the campaign’s broader message on election integrity.
“As Derek has said repeatedly, the 2020 election was rife with irregularities that understandably undermined trust among Georgians about the validity of our elections,” the spokesperson said. “That’s why Derek has been so supportive of the state’s efforts to clean up the process and restore trust in our elections in 2021. Georgia delivered for President Trump in 2024 and winning here in 2026 is vital to advancing his agenda, that’s why we need an outsider who can win in November — not another self-serving D.C. politician who will lose to Jon Ossoff.”
The private remark contrasts with Dooley’s more measured public posture. In a Feb. 5 interview with WMAZ in Macon, one day before the recorded event, Dooley avoided directly saying whether the 2020 election was free and fair when pressed by a reporter.
“Joe Biden was our president for four years. OK? And that’s the way it is,” Dooley said. Comparing the outcome to a tough loss in sports, he added that the focus should be on ensuring Republicans are not “in that position again,” pointing to the 2021 Election Integrity Act and Republican victories in 2022 and 2024.
Together, the comments highlight the delicate line Dooley is walking. Georgia’s Republican Senate primary is scheduled for May 2026. The race features three candidates maneuvering for Trump’s endorsement, which has not yet been issued.
The field includes Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA), a second-term trucking executive-turned-congressman who has embraced combative culture-war problems; Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA), a six-term Savannah pharmacist-turned-lawmaker who has pledged to spend at least $10 million of his own money; and Dooley, the former University of Tennessee football coach backed by Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA).
Kemp withstood fierce attacks from Trump over the 2020 election, surviving a Trump-backed primary challenge and winning reelection by 7 points. His backing of Dooley adds another layer to a primary already shaped by questions of alignment with the president.
The loyalty divide sharpened following the FBI raid that seized thousands of 2020 ballots from Fulton County as part of a federal investigation into alleged irregularities in the presidential election.
Collins quickly praised the investigation, writing on social media, “Go get ’em, Kash,” referring to FBI Director Kash Patel. Carter said Georgians would finally get “long-overdue answers.” Dooley, by contrast, initially declined to comment publicly on the raid.
Federal agents executed the seizure after a magistrate judge signed a warrant authorizing the removal of ballots cast in the 2020 election. A newly unsealed affidavit shows the warrant was sought as part of a criminal investigation into whether alleged irregularities in Fulton County’s election administration were deliberate and violated federal law.
The raid has reignited one of the state’s most combustible political fault lines, injecting the 2020 election back into both the open governor’s race and the Senate primary.
The president is returning to the state this week as early voting is underway to fill the open House seat vacated by former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA). Trump is expected to deliver remarks focused on affordability and the economy before visiting a local business.
Trump has already endorsed Republican District Attorney Clay Fuller in the special election, though pro-Trump state Sen. Colton Moore is also vying for the same bloc of voters. Both are among 18 candidates competing in the race.
But while the president has weighed in on the House contest, he has not yet issued an endorsement in the Senate primary. With just three months until voters head to the polls, his silence in that race has only intensified the jockeying among Collins, Carter, and Dooley.
The visit follows last summer’s stop by Vice President JD Vance in Peachtree City, when all three Senate candidates appeared and delivered remarks before Vance took the stage to promote Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act. It is not yet clear whether the Senate contenders will again share the stage during Trump’s visit.
TRUMP RAID REOPENS 2020 FAULT LINES IN GEORGIA GOVERNOR AND SENATE RACES
According to an average of polls compiled by RealClearPolitics, Collins leads the Republican primary field with 27.5%, followed by Carter at 19% and Dooley at 12%, giving Collins an 8.5-point advantage.
