Georgia Republicans Head Toward Senate Primary Runoff With Ossoff

Georgia's Republican Senate primary is days from voting, with the party moving toward a June runoff rather than coalescing around one candidate to challenge Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff. Polling has shown Rep.

Mike Collins leading the field that also includes Rep. Buddy Carter and former Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley, though no candidate is close to the 50 percent threshold needed to win outright. The contest has prompted concerns among some Republicans that the intraparty fight has allowed Ossoff to build his campaign resources while the Republican candidates compete against one another.

Ossoff has raised more than $14 million during the first quarter and entered the spring with roughly $31 million in the bank. The Senate Leadership Fund has reserved $44 million in television advertising to counter that financial advantage once a nominee is set.

Ryan Mahoney, a longtime Georgia Republican strategist who previously worked for GOP senators in the state, said the primary has left the eventual nominee at a disadvantage.

“Frustration is not the word that describes my feelings. I’m pissed,” Mahoney said. “Jon Ossoff raising an incredible sum of money while he has no incoming. No one is hitting him. ” Mahoney pointed to previous Georgia cycles, including the 2018 governor’s race and 2020 Senate contests, in which bruising primaries left nominees financially depleted.

“Whoever the nominee is, they’re already coming out of a bloody primary,” he said. Brian Kemp into the race after he became term-limited.

Kemp declined to run and instead backed Dooley, the son of longtime University of Georgia football coach Vince Dooley. Kemp’s endorsement did not clear the field. A Georgia Republican strategist speaking on the condition of anonymity said there was no clear benefit to the extended timeline.

“There’s not a good reason why this thing dragged out for a year only to end up right where it was a year ago,” the strategist said. ” The strategist added that frustration extends to multiple parts of the party. “I think the governor deserves some of the blame.

Where has the White House been? The White House declined to comment on his views of the primary or any contacts with the candidates.

A former Republican staffer now living in Georgia said an endorsement could have helped a candidate clear 50 percent. Campaign spokespeople rejected the idea that the primary has harmed their general-election prospects. A Collins campaign spokesperson highlighted the candidate’s spending and support.

Chris Crawford, a spokesperson for Carter, said the contest has increased name recognition and grassroots backing. Connor Whitney, a spokesperson for Dooley, said the campaign has gained momentum and media attention across the state. A recent Quantus Insights poll conducted April 28 through May 2 showed Dooley at 23 percent, his highest level yet.

Republicans are also monitoring other battleground states, including Michigan, where Democrats face their own competitive Senate primary. Some in the party have expressed concern that Georgia could fall in priority among pickup targets. Georgia Democrats said this week that Ossoff enters the general-election period in a strong position after focusing on healthcare, insurance costs and other issues while Republicans competed in the primary.