- The Washington Times - Friday, October 16, 2026

DALTON, Ga. — President Trump told his supporters at a rally Friday to get to the polls in Georgia for Republican candidates.

Seeking to mobilize voters in heavily Republican northwest Georgia, Mr. Trump was joined by U.S. Senate candidate Mike Collins and gubernatorial nominee Rick Jackson.

Mr. Collins is challenging Democratic incumbent Sen. Jon Ossoff.

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“On November 3rd, Georgia needs to throw Open Borders Jon Ossoff out of office and elect Mike Collins,” Mr. Trump said.

Mr. Trump also blamed Mr. Ossoff for the killing of University of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley by an illegal immigrant, saying the suspect was “set loose by the cruel open border policies of John Ossoff.”

Mr. Trump called Rick Jackson “a great businessman.”

The Dalton event is the first time this fall that Mr. Jackson and Mr. Collins have campaigned together, while Mr. Ossoff and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms are frequently holding joint rallies.

Mr. Ossoff’s lead in the polls has been growing.

According to the Trafalgar Group’s latest survey, Mr. Ossoff is leading Mr. Collins by 8 points.

The governor’s race is much tighter. A new InsiderAdvantage poll showed Mr. Jackson with a narrow 2-point lead.

Mr. Trump has been on a campaign blitz in the closing weeks of the midterm cycle. The president has mostly stuck to Republican-friendly states, and Georgia is no exception.

The president was last in Dalton on Jan. 4, 2021, the day before Mr. Ossoff and Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock won concurrent Senate runoffs.

The city is part of the congressional district once represented by Marjorie Taylor Greene, a one-time Trump ally who quit Congress after breaking with the president over the Epstein files and Israel’s war in Gaza.

Republican Rep. Clay Fuller replaced Ms. Greene in an April special election and beat his Democratic opponent by 12 points.`

Mr. Trump won the district by about 37 points in 2024.

Mr. Trump’s relationship with Georgia Republican leadership has been rocky since the 2020 election, when the GOP-led state was called for his Democratic opponent, Joseph R. Biden, who went on to win the general election.

Mr. Trump disputed the results in Georgia and said the state’s election was “rigged.”

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