GOP Senate rivals attack Derek Dooley’s college football coaching record

Published On: August 13, 2025

He wasn’t famous. He was also a failure as a coach.

At a Henry County GOP gathering last week, U.S. Representative Buddy Carter responded bluntly to a question about why another football star—referring to Derek Dooley—was now vying for the U.S. Senate in Georgia.

The Republican candidate for the position, Carter, didn’t stop there. He continued by saying that Dooley isn’t ready to challenge the Democratic incumbent, U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, in recordings that The Atlanta Journal-Constitution was able to secure.

We’re just going to make this a popularity contest, but this is serious stuff that I don’t want to hear about. Carter stated that this is not what it is. It’s essential to have someone who can match this child’s level of ability, and I am that person.

There are other GOP Senate candidates who are attacking Dooley besides Carter. The former coach has also been under fire from U.S. Representative Mike Collins, who has mocked his losing record at the University of Tennessee and accused him of remaining on the sidelines for all three of President Donald Trump’s White House attempts.

The contest appears to be a high-stakes battle to determine how much Georgia conservative voters regard collegiate football credentials. Four years have passed since Herschel Walker, a legendary figure from the University of Georgia, crushed the GOP field and lost in a runoff to Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnockin.

Drawing on his coaching experience, Dooley has framed his time on the sidelines as a means of giving young athletes and their families hope and opportunity. The GOP sniping was dismissed by his campaign.

According to Dooley’s spokesperson, Connor Whitney, “it’s clear that both of the conventional politicians in this race can’t stop talking about Derek Dooley because they’re afraid an outsider will end their political careers.”

In contrast to them, Derek will keep addressing voters about his Georgia First campaign in an effort to defeat Jon Ossoff and support President Trump in achieving his goals.

Friday news quiz

Arvin Temkar/AJC is credited.

Good morning! Here at Politically Georgia, Fridays are quiz days, and we do our best to stump you with questions based on the previous week’s political happenings. However, based on the emails you send us, it appears that you are either too intelligent for that or are reluctant to acknowledge when you answer a question incorrectly. We will assume the best of you.

Let’s get started on the test!The newsletter’s bottom has the answers.

Alisha Thomas Searcy, a former state representative, made a comeback to politics this week. What had she declared?

A) She s running for her old state House seat in 2026.
B) She s starting a public relations and lobbying firm.
C) She s hosting a joint fundraiser for state House Democrats.
D) She launched a political action committee and think tank focused on education.

Geoff Duncan, a former lieutenant governor, said last week that he had switched parties, becoming the latest in Georgia politics to do so. Is there anyone on this list who has never changed political parties?

A) Nathan Deal.
B) Newt Gingrich.
C) Alan Powell.
D) Sonny Perdue.

On Monday, Georgia officials unveiled a new initiative to assist low-income residents in obtaining free rooftop solar system leases. What took place the day after?

A) The website to apply for the program crashed.
B) The state s largest rooftop solar company filed for bankruptcy.
C) The Trump administration appeared set to revoke the program s funding.
D) A new study found Georgia s extensive tree canopy limited the effectiveness rooftop solar systems.

Derek Dooley received the official endorsement of Governor Brian Kemphasn for the U.S. Senate. However, how did he support the former football coach’s campaign this week?

A) Paid for mailers touting Dooley s campaign.
B) Used federal PAC money to pay for $100,000 worth of text messages to voters on Dooley s behalf.
C) Hosted a fundraiser for Dooley at his home in Athens.
D) Liked Dooley s post on X announcing his campaign.

Debanking

Natrice Miller/AJC is credited.

When Republicans joined Democrats in rejecting his plan to allow customers to sue banks for discrimination earlier this year, state senator Blake Tillery was devastated. President Donald Trump provided him with some support on Thursday.

Trump directed federal regulators to look into whether big banks are canceling accounts or refusing to do business with conservatives because they support their preferred causes. It is a component of Trump’s larger conviction that the industry has plotted against him.

By ordering regulators to forward cases to the Department of Justice within 120 days, the order creates the possibility of prosecution.

Only 12 of his colleagues, along with Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, backed Tillery’s bill; the others believed the large banking lobby’s deceptive claim that debanking is uncommon and not a serious issue.

According to Tillery, a Republican from Vidalia, “It seems that President Trump agrees with me.”

For Tillery, who plans to run for lieutenant governor next year alongside a number of his Senate colleagues, it’s a major flex.

The banking sector has resisted such measures, claiming that they are more about forcing banks to invest in financially risky initiatives like cryptocurrency than they are about protecting consumers.

Additionally, they caution that the plan will expose them to a deluge of pointless lawsuits, something Republicans have vowed to avoid by supporting Gov. Brian Kemp’s reform of civil litigation.

Hit the gas

Alex Brandon/AP is credited.

President Donald Trump increased import levies on dozens of nations this week, threatening to disrupt numerous industries with the administration’s erratic tariff policy.

However, one sector has remained steady in the face of all the uncertainty: oil.

There was concern that Trump’s slew of tariffs, which he started this spring, may raise gas prices before the popular summer vacation season. However, as supply rose and demand decreased, the national average gas price at the end of July was at its lowest level since the summer of 2021.

With gas prices averaging $2.92 per gallon as of this morning, Georgia drivers have had an exceptionally pleasant summer. Prices were $3.25 per gallon a year ago.

Despite Trump’s 35% tariff on Canada last week, prices have not changed. Canada provides more than half of the crude oil used in the United States, primarily through a vast pipeline network. However, because those tariffs are covered by the United States-Canada-Mexico Agreement, which is in effect as of 2020, oil has mostly escaped them.

Tariffs have affected all automakers, but the electric car sector has been particularly badly struck. According to our AJC colleague Zachary Hansen, Rivian, a California-based electric vehicle manufacturer that intends to construct a sizable facility in Georgia, reduced its financial outlook this week, citing trade issues.

2026 watch

The first Democrat to enter the 2026 Georgia secretary of state race is Adrian Consonery Jr.

Consonery, who has never held public office before, declared his candidacy on Thursday. He leads the young adult ministry at Marietta’s Bridge Pointe Church.

State Representative Tim Fleming, a Republican from Covington, and contractor and Air Force veteran Kelvin King are the two Republicans currently preparing to compete for secretary of state.

Time to apply

Arvin Temkar/AJC is credited.

Have you ever wished to serve on the City Council? Now s your chance.

Amir Farokhi, a member of the Atlanta District 2 City Council, is stepping down with effect from August 23. November 4 is when the election to replace him will take place. The winner will start work in January.

That would leave District 2 residents with no representation for about four months. The council will designate someone to cover the vacancy until the conclusion of the term in order to prevent that. Applications are being accepted today.

To qualify, you must be:

18 or older
A resident of Atlanta and District 2 for at least one year prior to the application.
A registered voter
Not employed by the city.

To apply, submit a resume and a statement of interest either byemailing the municipal clerkor visiting theoffice in person. The deadline to apply is 5 p.m. on Aug. 27.

Farokhi was first elected in 2017. He sresigning earlyto become the head of The Galloway School.

Duncan distancing

Credit: Georgia Senate Press Office

For years, former state Rep. Mike Dudgeon was a top political ally of Geoff Duncan.

The two Republicans teamed up to pass dozens of conservative bills during their time as lawmakers in the state House. Dudgeon later served as Duncan s policy director for more than two years after Duncan was elected lieutenant governor in 2018.

But this week after Duncan formally announced his switch to the Democratic Party, Dudgeon said on Facebook:I am not with him anymore politically. He also penned a lengthy response on thePeach Pundit blog.

His lengthy essay sharply dissectsDuncan s argumentin an AJC opinion essay that Democratic-backed policies put him in the best possible position each day to love my neighbor.

Dudgeon, who has long framed his faith as a guiding force in his politics, concluded with this rebuke:

Only Jesus lived up to the standard, as we all fall short. But I want to, and try hard to, love my neighbor. I am a Republican because I think that is the better approach to that mission. Outsourcing love to an inefficient and impersonal government is not the answer.

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Trump today

Credit: Azerbaijani Presidential Press Office via AP

President Donald Trump will meet at the White House with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Ilham Aliyev, the president of Azerbaijan.

Shoutout:

Today s birthday:

David Pierce, board member for the Amicalola Electric Membership Corporation and a faithful reader of this newsletter from Ellijay.

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Before you go

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Answers to this week s news quiz: D, B, C, B.

That ll do it for us today. As always, you can send your best scoops, gossip and insider info [email protected],[email protected],[email protected]@ajc.com.