Republican Derek Dooley, who is vying to become the GOP’s choice to run against Jon Ossoff for the Georgia Senate seat, revealed he may have to consider “both sides of the issue” when it comes to allowing illegal aliens to stay in the United States, a stance that is a betrayal of current Republican principles under President Trump.
🚨 WATCH: Derek Dooley hints that he would support letting illegal aliens stay— says he is "sensitive to both sides of the issue":
— Mike Collins War Room (@TeamOverhaulGA) May 21, 2026
"They want to feel like they don't have to look over their shoulders every 5 minutes and worry about us taking them out of the country." pic.twitter.com/o9l99cRiwV
"Well, I think obviously we think they should have some penalty because they came here the wrong way," Dooley said. "What kind of penalty would that look like? That's something we can all talk about and debate on what's the right way, whether it's a payment or whether it's community service or whatever it is, but they need to pay some penalty for coming here the wrong way."
"But I think it's also that, you know, I know they want to feel like they don't have to look over their shoulder every five minutes, you know, and worry about us taking them out of the country," he added. "And so I'm very sensitive, both sides of the issue."
Dooley is currently running against Republican Representative Mike Collins, the author of the Laken Riley Act, in the party’s primary. Although the primary election took place on May 19, no candidate received a majority of the vote, and a runoff has been scheduled for June 16.
Georgia's GOP Senate primary heads to a June 16 runoff between Rep. Mike Collins and outsider Derek Dooley — and the race could become a proxy war between Trump and Gov. Kemp as Republicans scramble to find someone who can unseat Democrat Jon Ossoff in November. pic.twitter.com/sLOlXqjlbs
— Fox News Politics (@foxnewspolitics) May 20, 2026
Why the Republican nominee has yet to be decided, despite one candidate being seen by many conservatives as out of step with MAGA priorities, remains an open question.
Collins will face Democrat Senator Jon Ossoff in the general election, and with the Senate majority expected to remain razor-thin, selecting the right candidate is more important than ever.
Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.
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