Georgia GOP infighting gives Democrats edge ahead of key Senate primary: Report
Ahead of the midterm primaries, a Politico report has indicated that Democrats may have a clear advantage in Georgia—one of two toss-up seats in states President Donald Trump won in 2024, the other being Michigan. As per the report, Georgia Republicans are embroiled in an intraparty blame game as the party struggles to field a front-runner endorsed by the President. With primaries scheduled for May 19, the delay in deciding on a Trump-backed candidate, coupled with a divided Republican camp, can work in favor of incumbent Senator Jon Ossoff, the report claimed.
The three Republican candidates set to battle each other in May’s primary include Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.), Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.), and Gov. Brian Kemp-endorsed former football coach Derek Dooley. Of the three, Collins leads the race, according to recent polls, and Dooley, a "political outider," lags with about 10% support. However, the President has yet to announce his endorsement, and Kemp, who decided against contesting the Senate race, may find himself at odds with Trump. In an interview with NOTUS, Kemp had said that there was a lack of urgency from the White House in backing a candidate. "Other people were getting in the race and, you know, they wouldn't move, and I wasn't going to sit around and wait and have legislators keep endorsing other candidates," Kemp told the publication.
As per the Politico report, several GOP members in Georgia have blamed the National Republican Senatorial Committee for failing to unite the field or decide on a strong consensus candidate. While several outside groups are waiting to get behind a strong Republican frontrunner, they are still waiting for the party to make a decision. "It's not ideal that it looks like it's going to run off," Cole Muzio, president of the conservative Frontline Policy Council, was quoted by Politico as saying, expressing that a "unity nominee would have been ideal."
With GOP voters divided, Ossoff has been handed a significant fundraising advantage. As per some reports, Ossoff had over $24 million in funds at the start of this year. With most analysts describing Georgia as a purple state, a failure to decide on a consensus is also giving Ossoff an advantage. While Collins leads the Republican field, early general election polls show him (and the other GOP challengers) trailing Ossoff. As per a March poll by the Emerson College Polling Center, Ossoff clocks 48% of voter support, against Collins' 43%; 9% remain undecided. As per the same poll, 30% support Collins, 16% Carter, and 10% Dooley in the Republican Senate primary; 40% remain undecided.
