By Jim Thomas | Wednesday, June 17, 2026
Representative Rich McCormick, a Republican from Georgia, stated that defeating Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff will be “the fight of our lifetime” to maintain control of the Senate. McCormick warned that even with President Donald Trump’s planned Georgia rallies, Republicans face a challenging contest against a well-funded incumbent in what he described as a “50-50 state.”
McCormick, who serves on the House Armed Services and Oversight committees, spoke hours after Republican Representative Mike Collins won Tuesday’s Senate runoff election against former University of Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley. The victory sets up a November showdown with Ossoff. Trump endorsed Collins days before the runoff.
McCorkick characterized Ossoff as a polished, well-funded incumbent with significant political skills but criticized his voting record. “His voting record is all wrong, but he is smooth, he’s intelligent, he’s well-spoken, and he’s well-funded,” McCormick said. He added that Republicans would need to mobilize “all hands on deck” to flip the seat.
McCormick described Georgia as a majority-minority electorate and emphasized the race’s critical importance to Republican hopes of holding the Senate.
In addition, McCormick commented on the state’s gubernatorial race, where billionaire healthcare executive Rick Jackson defeated Trump-backed Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones in Tuesday’s Republican runoff. McCormick noted that “the statistics favored Jackson once the initial primary was over,” citing Attorney General Chris Carr’s endorsement and a bloc of voters who supported Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. According to data, Raffensperger drew about 15% of the May 19 primary vote while Carr secured approximately 12%. Carr endorsed Jackson on May 27.
McCormick expressed surprise at the result given Jones received endorsements from both Trump and Governor Kemp but argued either Republican candidate would have been stronger than Democrat nominee Keisha Lance Bottoms, the former Atlanta mayor. “She was a horrible mayor, terribly flawed candidate,” McCormick said. “I’m glad that we’re going against her because Georgia’s future is at stake.” Bottoms secured the Democratic nomination with 56% of the vote in May.
Jackson, founder of Jackson Healthcare, dominated television advertising with more than $50 million from his campaign and allied groups heading into the runoff. He will face Bottoms on November 3 to succeed term-limited Governor Brian Kemp.
McCormick concluded that he is “ultimately happy with the results” and praised Jones despite his runoff loss. “I wish Burt Jones nothing but the best,” he said. “He’s been a great lieutenant governor.”
