President Donald Trump is set to campaign in Georgia this Friday, rallying support for Republican Senate candidate Mike Collins after the state's early voting period begins Tuesday, Oct. 13. The visit lands in Dalton, a Republican stronghold in the northwest corner of the state, and arrives at a pivotal moment for a ticket locked in two of the nation's most closely watched statewide races.
According to NewsNation, Trump will travel to Georgia this Friday to campaign in support of Collins, who is hoping to unseat Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff. The event is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. at Dalton Municipal Airport, per Atlanta News First — though a separate report from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution lists the rally start time as 3 p.m., leaving the exact schedule unsettled ahead of the event.
Trump will also campaign for Republican gubernatorial nominee Rick Jackson, who is facing Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms, the station notes. Collins is expected to attend the Dalton rally, while Jackson and other Republicans may also appear, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Greg Bluestein, the paper's chief political reporter. The AJC frames the stop as a test of Jackson's effort to chart a more independent course in the governor's race even as the rally aims to energize the broader Republican ticket.
A Third Trip to Georgia This Year
Friday's stop will mark Trump's third visit to Georgia in 2026. He was in Rome in February, and he made an appearance at Wheeler High School in Cobb County in July, the Atlanta News First report notes. That July appearance carried the tone of a full campaign rally, with a wide array of down-ballot Republican candidates appearing onstage, according to the Georgia Recorder.
Emory University political science professor Andra Gillespie told the outlet that events like Trump's rallies are aimed at energizing reliable Republican voters rather than appealing to moderates. That dynamic could shape how Friday's Dalton event plays out, given the contrasting postures Collins and Jackson have taken toward the president this fall.
Early Voting Opens as Polls Show Tight Races
Georgia's early voting period begins Tuesday and runs through Oct. 30, Atlanta News First reports. Collins is seeking to unseat Ossoff, while Jackson and Bottoms are competing to become the state's 84th chief executive, the station notes.
Polling from Decision Desk HQ shows Ossoff leading Collins 52% to 43%, according to NewsNation, while Jackson holds a narrower edge over Bottoms, 49% to 47%, in the governor's race. The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter rates Georgia's Senate seat as leaning Democratic but still very much in play, NBC News reports. As of June 30, Collins had roughly $2 million cash on hand compared with Ossoff's $42 million, per the same outlet.
Diverging Strategies Toward Trump
The two Republican nominees have taken noticeably different approaches to the president this campaign season. During his Senate debate against Ossoff, Collins left no daylight between himself and Trump, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Patricia Murphy. Jackson, by contrast, never mentioned Trump's name once during his debate against Bottoms, Murphy's reporting notes.
That split could complicate how Friday's rally is received. An appearance from Trump could energize Republican candidates who have embraced him while complicating the strategy of those trying to keep some distance from his standing in the polls, according to the AJC. Georgia remains one of the nation's preeminent battleground states heading into the final weeks of the campaign, Atlanta News First notes, as early voting begins Tuesday, Oct. 13.
