The race for the Republican nomination to challenge incumbent Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff in November is escalating into a high-stakes battle for political influence and multi-million-dollar state contracts ahead of the June 16 runoff.
U.S. Rep. Mike Collins and former college football coach Derek Dooley are facing off after securing the top spots in May’s midterm primary. Collins held a steady lead in polls for weeks, but Dooley surged late in the campaign, heavily backed by Georgia Governor Brian Kemp. Kemp’s political action committee, Hardworking Americans, has poured millions into Dooley’s run, reflecting a deep, lifelong friendship between the two families.
However, that close relationship is now under intense scrutiny as local media outlets raise questions about school safety funding, real estate deals, and state procurement.
The School Safety Contract Connection
According to an investigative report by 11Alive, Centegix—a school security company owned by Derek Dooley’s brother, Daniel Dooley—has secured contracts that now place its systems in 90% of Georgia public schools as of August 2025, per WSB-TV data.
In 2019, Kemp publicly promoted the company during a visit to a Douglas County school where Daniel Dooley was present. Kemp later signed legislation providing school safety grants to local districts. The dollar amounts allocated to these schools frequently matched the cost of a Centegix system. Concurrently, Daniel Dooley donated at least $100,000 to Kemp’s PAC, which is now funding his brother Derek’s Senate bid.
Spokespersons for Governor Kemp emphasize that the state did not award these contracts directly.
“Decisions on how to spend these grants, which vendor(s) to select, or what method of security chosen rests solely with local authorities, and any contracts would be between the local district and their selected recipient,” the governor’s office stated. 11Alive noted in a follow-up that there is no direct evidence showing Kemp explicitly directed local districts to choose Centegix. Derek Dooley has not publicly commented on the matter.
Lake Property Sales Under Scrutiny
Separate reports from Courier Georgia point to transactions involving Kemp’s personal business holdings. Upon entering office in 2019, Kemp faced significant debt tied to his company, Shelter Rock, which owned struggling properties along Lake Strom Thurmond.
Two years into his first term, these properties were sold in multi-million dollar deals that exceeded their 2020 asking prices, effectively clearing Kemp’s business debt. State records bear Kemp’s signature on the deeds.
Following the sales, several buyers secured substantial state business or political appointments:
- Donald Richards, president of Network Cabling Infrastructures, purchased property and later received over $2 million in state contracts for security and surveillance products.
- Another buyer reportedly benefited from the passage of lottery machine legislation (HB 383).
- A third buyer was appointed to the State Charter School Commission and subsequently donated to Derek Dooley’s Senate campaign.
The governor’s office defended the real estate transactions as a transparent effort to insulate his public office from his private life.
“Furthermore, the governor has no involvement in the state contracting or procurement process, and there are strict laws in place prohibiting such involvement. HB 383 received broad bipartisan support and underwent a thorough review process before the governor’s decision to sight it,” a spokesperson told Courier Georgia, adding that the sales served to “disentangle the governor from a longstanding business partnership” and that critics were misconstruing a standard ethical separation of assets.
Lawmakers Demand Action in Upcoming Special Session
The political fallout has reached the state legislature. Following the conclusion of the regular 2026 legislative session, Kemp called a special legislative session for June 17 to address election processes, potential redistricting, and a gas tax suspension.
State Representatives Karlton Howard and Brian Prince are leading a bipartisan coalition of at least 40 lawmakers demanding that the special session’s agenda expand to include an independent probe into the Kemp and Dooley family business ties.
“This scheme raises obvious questions about possible corruption and pay-to-play politics, but Dooley and Kemp have no shame in any of this in the middle of the GOP U.S. Senate runoff that the governor continues to go across the state doing everything in his power to get his longtime friend elected,” Howard said during a Friday press call. “Instead of transparency, we’ve gotten silence.”
Representative Prince echoed the call for external oversight to clear the air for Georgia voters. “This pay to play type of politics is something that we need to see ‘what’s going on,’ ‘who’s being paid,’ and again, ‘why is that’?” Prince said. “We want something independent, so that we can show the people of Georgia just what is happening in the state now.”
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