Jon Ossoff

It was a long and inconclusive election day in Georgia on Tuesday as the race for the Republican Senate primary dragged into the night.

Fulton County, which includes hundreds of thousands of voters in the Atlanta metro, held their results until the final polling location in Sandy Springs closed at 11:02 p.m. following a temporary shutdown earlier that afternoon.

Mike Collins, Buddy Carter and Derek Dooley were all hoping for the chance to take on incumbent Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff in the November midterms, but after hours of waiting, no candidate reached the 50% threshold to take home the race outright.

Collins took first in the race with 40.50%, and in the end, Dooley outpaced Carter to take the second place spot with 30.19%. Collins and Dooley will now face one another in the June 16 runoff.

Ossoff, however, isn't waiting for his opponent to be decided to go on the offensive.

Ossoff calls Collins, Dooley 'Trump lackeys'

Speaking on MS Now Wednesday night, Ossoff said it largely doesn't matter whether Collins or Dooley ends up opposite him on the ballot, each would be a strong supporter of the Trump Administration's actions in Georgia.

"I am running in Georgia against two Trump lackeys who, you can rest assured as they race for the President's approval, would be voting for this crooked ballroom and this insurrectionist slush fund," Ossoff said.

Ossoff has made taking on corruption and political finance a central part of his messaging in Congress and a key part of his reelection campaign, and he has been outspoken against Trump's contested project to rebuild the East Wing of the White House as an elaborate ballroom. He also references the recent decision to use a $1.776 billion IRS settlement as an "anti-weaponization" fund for those who believe they have been unfairly persecuted by a politicized justice system.

He says his opponents, both Collins and Dooley, should have to weigh in on these actions before voters make their final decision in November.

"Every national political reporter in the country should be putting that question to these two candidates ... Let's see them prove to the people of Georgia ... because they're pro-war, they're pro-tariff, they're pro-cutting healthcare. Let's find out where they stand on the crooked ballroom and the insurrectionist slush fund," Ossoff said.

Ossoff's comments were backed up by his partner in Congress, Georgia Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock, in a post on X.

"The President just used his power to exempt himself and his family from audits on every tax return they've ever filed," Warnock said, referencing part of the IRS agreement. "If that is not corruption to the highest degree, then what is?"

Collins supports those who 'threatened Biden's reign'

Collins, who has leaned into the MAGA movement and has been closely aligned with Trump, said he would also support the Department of Justice fund when asked about Ossoff's comments.

"Joe Biden weaponized the government to censor and attack his political rival, PTA moms, conservative organizations, and anyone who threatened Biden's reign," Collins said in a statement to USA TODAY. "I have confidence in the oversight process and in ensuring that those impacted by political weaponization are made whole."

Collins has gone after Ossoff throughout his campaign, from assigning blame for the TSA shutdown at Hartsfield-Jackson to calling him part of the political elite. Collins started a trucking company before his jump to the U.S. House, while Ossoff has spent nearly all of his professional life in the political sphere.

Collins has also highlighted campaign finance during his run, but said his opponents outspent him "15 to 1" and he was able to "do the most with the least" after coming in first in the primary.

USA TODAY also reached out to the Dooley campaign to comment on the president's DOJ fund, and has not received a response.

What is the $1.776 billion 'anti-weaponization' fund?

President Trump, and his family, previously sued the Internal Revenue Service seeking $10 billion in damages from the leak of Trump's tax returns.

Eventually, the family agreed to drop the suit in exchange for a $1.776 billion fund to be created through the Department of Justice to "reimburse" people who were "horribly treated" by a "weaponized" system under the Biden Administration.

"They've been weaponized. They've been in some cases imprisoned wrongly. They paid legal fees that they didn't have. They've gone bankrupt. Their lives have been destroyed. And they turned out to be right. It was a terrible period of time in the history of our country," Trump said in remarks to reporters on Monday.

The agreement, released on May 18, also states that the IRS will no longer pursue any tax liabilities claims it may have against Trump, members of his family or his companies.

While the fund would not be limited to the time period of the Biden Administration, it would include Jan. 6 defendants, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said during a May 19 Senate Appropriations Committee hearing.

A five-person committee, appointed by Blanche, will be in charge of making judgements on whether an American is eligible for a payout from the fund, and an agreement signed by Blanche states the U.S. government would have "no liability" if the funds were misused by someone who receives money.

Politicians in the Senate Appropriations Committee and across the country have spoken out against the fund, claiming it is a way for Trump to financially reward his allies, even when they have been convicted of crimes against the government he now leads.

Irene Wright covers midterm races in Georgia as the Atlanta Connect reporter with USA Today’s Deep South Connect team. Find her on X @IreneEWright or email her at [email protected].