Nobody’s pulling away. That’s the problem Georgia Republicans can’t solve heading into Tuesday night’s Senate primary, and most of them expect the fight to drag into a June 16 runoff — giving Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff weeks of uncontested time to pile up cash.
Rep. Mike Collins is the likely front-runner, but it isn’t clear who’ll join him in a two-person runoff. Rep. Buddy Carter and former football coach Derek Dooley are scrapping for second place, and recent polling shows Dooley edging Carter late.
“The longer the party stays fractured … that harms the chances in the general election,” said Jason Shepherd, former Cobb County GOP chair. “The beneficiary of all this is Jon Ossoff. All he has to do right now is continue to raise money.”
Trump’s silence
President Donald Trump hasn’t endorsed anyone — despite all three leading candidates meeting with him at the White House. That’s kept the National Republican Senatorial Committee on the sidelines too. Collins’ camp plans to make a direct pitch for Trump’s backing starting Wednesday, according to a Republican strategist close to the campaign.
Collins has the Club for Growth PAC behind him and appeared at a Trump rally earlier this year. Carter has branded himself a “trusted MAGA warrior” and ramped up spending in the final weeks. Dooley, meanwhile, jumped in with Gov. Brian Kemp’s support and has leaned hard on Kemp’s approval rating — nearly 20 points higher than Trump’s in Georgia, per Politico.
A Kemp-aligned PAC called Hardworking Americans is running ads on Dooley’s behalf. The governor has joined him at dozens of campaign stops.
Ossoff’s war chest
While Republicans fight each other, Ossoff ended the first quarter with $31 million in the bank, according to federal campaign finance reports. He hasn’t bothered attacking any of the three directly.
Cole Muzio, president of Frontline Policy Council, called the large bloc of undecided voters “wild for what was initially supposed to be the most competitive race in the country.” He voted for Collins but wasn’t optimistic about the field’s clarity.
There’s another headache. The GOP gubernatorial primary between Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and billionaire Rick Jackson has burned through a combined $94 million, swallowing up TV airtime and mailbox space that Senate candidates desperately need.
“Can any of these guys really elevate above the noise to make a clear message?” Muzio said.
The Senate Leadership Fund, the top Senate GOP super PAC, has committed an initial $44 million to Georgia — but that money won’t flow until after a nominee exists. For now, the infighting continues.
Politico reported on the state of the Georgia Republican Senate primary. Read the original report.
