Republican Representative Mike Collins of Georgia advanced to a runoff election versus former University of Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley, following Tuesday night’s primary election. Neither candidate received 50 percent of the vote, forcing another contest to determine the state’s GOP candidate for U.S. Senate.
Following the statewide race on Tuesday, Quantus Insights conducted a snap poll on Wednesday and found that Collins leads Dooley by double digits.
Corbin Keown, spokesperson for Collins’ campaign, told Newsweek via email on Wednesday night, “Despite being outspent 15-to-1 in advertising, Mike Collins came out with 40% of the vote in a five-way primary on Tuesday because Georgians recognize and reward hard work, authenticity, and a record of results. Derek has been unable to demonstrate any of those characteristics, and voters are acting accordingly.”
Newsweek also reached out to Dooley’s campaign via email on Wednesday night for comment regarding the snap poll.
What To Know
According to the Associated Press, Collins received 40.5 percent of the vote in Tuesday night’s primary versus Dooley’s 30.2 percent and Earl L. Carter’s 25.1 percent.
Collins or Dooley would face off against Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff in November in the Peach State’s high-stakes senatorial race.
In the snap poll by Quantus Insights, Collins has 53.5 percent of the vote compared to Dooley’s 37.2 percent. The poll was conducted from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday among 782 likely Republican Georgia primary voters. “Results were weighted to a modeled likely Republican runoff electorate,” with an effective sample size of 739, the poll notes, and has a margin of error of 3.9 percent.
Collins took to X after the primary results, saying, “Still humbled by last night, but this conservative workhorse doesn’t stop. Wheels up to DC this morning delivering on President Trump’s America First agenda. Serving you in Congress is the honor of a lifetime.”
Dooley also said on X Wednesday, “If we’re going to beat Jon Ossoff in November, we need a political outsider who can go on offense and attack his failed record. I’m in this race because I want to serve the people of Georgia. And in the U.S. Senate, I’m going to deliver results and put YOU first!”
Georgia Republican Governor Brian Kemp has thrown his support behind Dooley after deciding not to run for the seat himself. President Donald Trump has not endorsed a candidate in this race.
Spokesperson Lauren French of Senate Majority PAC—a Democratic super PAC—said in an email to Newsweek on Wednesday morning, “Today is a reminder of just how weak this Republican field is. Georgia voters have been subjected to months of these candidates, and still, not one of them could close the deal. Personally, we look forward to four more weeks of their in-fighting and three-ring circus, but can’t imagine Georgia feels the same.
“Come November, Georgians will have a clear choice: whoever limps out of the Republican primary versus Jon Ossoff – a senator with a real record, real results, and the full confidence of the people he serves.”
The runoff battle is scheduled for June 16.
What Polls Show
An Echelon Insights poll taken in early April showed Collins getting 44 percent of the hypothetical support compared to Ossoff’s 51 percent. The poll surveyed 407 likely Georgia voters, with a 6.5 percent margin of error.
An Emerson College poll released in early March shows Ossoff has 49 percent of the hypothetical vote compared to Dooley’s 41 percent and 10 percent are undecided. The same poll shows Ossoff has 48 percent compared to Collins’ 43 percent, with 9 percent undecided. The poll was taken from February 28 to March 2 among 1,000 likely voters in Georgia, with a margin of error of 3 percent.
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