President Donald Trump is holding a rally in Perry, Georgia, at 7 p.m. Saturday. It is his second Georgia rally in eight days. 1
He is campaigning for Republican Rep. Mike Collins, who is challenging Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff. He is also backing Rick Jackson, the Republican nominee for governor, who faces Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms, a former Atlanta mayor. Republican Gov. Brian Kemp is term-limited and leaves office soon. 1
What Trump said
Trump posted on Truth Social that the rally was meant to honor Collins and Jackson. He also attacked their opponents in the post. 1 Newsweek said it had asked all four campaigns for comment. 1
His earlier stop was in Dalton. There he told the crowd to "pretend I'm on the ballot." 1 The Associated Press reported that Georgia Republicans had been divided going into that event. Collins and Jackson had not shared a stage this fall before Dalton. 2
From Channel GOPOssoff on Trump's agents seizing Fulton ballotsJon Ossoff · captioned, with the source named
What the polls show
A Quantus Insights poll taken Oct. 15-17 had Ossoff ahead of Collins, 52% to 45%. 1 Collins answered that polls "don't really tell the true story" and called the race "winnable." 1
The governor's race is much closer. An InsiderAdvantage poll taken Oct. 12-13 had Jackson ahead of Bottoms, 49% to 47%. A later Quantus poll had Jackson up 48% to 47%. 1
Both leads are within the usual margin of error for polls like these. In plain terms, neither candidate has a clear edge in the governor's race. 1
The Democratic response
Ossoff said before the Dalton rally, "I'm surprised Georgia Republicans want the president here." He argued that Trump and Collins have backed policies that raised costs. 2
Bottoms has asked voters to treat the election as if Trump were on the ballot. 2 Newsweek's story did not include any response from the Ossoff or Bottoms campaigns to Saturday's visit. 1
Why the visits matter
That matters because a president usually spends his time in states his party is sure to win, or in races it believes it can still flip. Collins himself called the Senate race "the number one race in the country to flip." 1
There are also signs of strain inside the party. Kemp endorsed Collins only in September. Collins has struggled with weak fundraising and controversies. 2 Jackson rarely mentions Trump now and has compared himself to Kemp instead. 2
What happens next
Trump has a packed schedule, with stops planned in Michigan on Sunday and Mississippi on Monday. 1 He said his main worry was whether his voice would hold out. 1 The midterm election is Tuesday, Nov. 3. 1
The Record
- An InsiderAdvantage poll taken Oct. 12-13 had Rick Jackson ahead of Keisha Lance Bottoms, 49% to 47%. 1
- A Quantus Insights poll taken Oct. 15-17 had Sen. Jon Ossoff ahead of Mike Collins, 52% to 45%. 1
- The AP reported Trump was due in Dalton, Georgia, to rally with Collins and Jackson. 2
- Trump holds a second Georgia rally, in Perry. 1
Sources
- Newsweek, “Trump Tests Midterm Pull in Georgia With Second Rally in Eight Days” (2026-10-24). newsweek.com/donald-trump-georgia-rally-midterms-collins-jac
- AP via PBS NewsHour, “Trump will rally Georgia Republicans despite party divisions in battleground state” (2026-10-16). pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-will-rally-georgia-republica
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