If you’d told a savvy Georgia operative a few months ago that Republican Rep. Mike Collins would outraise his top GOP rivals in the opening weeks of the Senate campaign, they probably would’ve laughed in your face.

Derek Dooley, a former football coach with a name-brand pedigree, had the strength of Gov. Brian Kemp’s political network behind him.

Dooley’s campaign hoped his first fundraising report would showcase that advantage — a show of strength against Collins, a favorite of the grassroots MAGA crowd — and Rep. Buddy Carter, another ally of President Donald Trump wealthy enough to underwrite his own bid.

Instead, Collins ended his first fundraising quarter with about $1.9 million raised , just edging Dooley’s $1.85 million haul. And because of a transfer from his House campaign

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