The first poll since Tuesday’s Georgia Republican U.S. Senate primary shows Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA) leading his opponent Derek Dooley by double digits ahead of the runoff election on June 16.
Collins, who represents Georgia’s 10th congressional district, owns a trucking company, and is backed by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA), squares off against Derek Dooley, a former University of Tennessee football coach, lawyer, and first-time candidate. Both are vying for the seat of Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA), who was first elected in 2021 and has been dubbed the “most vulnerable” Democrat up for reelection.
In Georgia, if no candidate receives more than 50 percent of votes, the top two candidates advance to a runoff. With most of the votes tallied by Wednesday morning, Collins led the primary at 40.5 percent, followed by Dooley at 30.2 percent. Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA) received 25.1 percent of votes, and two other candidates did not reach over 4 percent.
The new snap poll, conducted by Quantus Insights, shows Collins leading Dooley 54 percent to 37 percent. The share of undecided voters is 9.3 percent.
“The Senate runoff begins with Collins in a strong position, already above 50 percent in the head-to-head matchup,” the pollster said in a post to X.
Collins’s campaign lauded the poll as proof that his grinding, grassroots strategy is paying off.
“Fortunately for Georgia conservatives, Derek Dooley has found himself in a position to which he is all too familiar — last place. Coach is on track to set a record for the fastest firing in his storied career of layoffs, national disappointments, and fumbles,” said Campaign Manager Josh Siegel.
“Despite being outspent 15-to-1 in advertising, Mike Collins came out on top with 40 percent of the vote in a five-way primary on Tuesday because Georgians recognize and reward hard work, authenticity, and a record of results. The worst coach in the history of Tennessee has been unable to demonstrate any of those characteristics, and voters are acting accordingly,” he continued.
Quantus noted that the governor’s race is “much tighter.” Lt. Gov. Burt Jones (R-GA), who is endorsed by President Donald Trump, and billionaire Rick Jackson will also compete in a runoff after edging out Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr.
The snap poll shows Jones narrowly leading Jackson 46.4 percent to 44.1 percent, with 9.5 percent undecided.
“Jones holds the edge, but Jackson remains within striking distance as the campaign moves into its second round,” the pollster assessed.
The Quantus Insights poll was conducted on May 20 among 782 likely Republican primary voters in Georgia with a margin of error of ± 3.9 percentage points.
Polling leading up to the primary consistently showed Collins leading his competitors. Closer to election day, polling showed Dooley surpassing Carter as the candidate with his establishment backers dumping funds into massive advertising campaigns.
RealClear Polling average shows Collins presenting the greatest challenge to Ossoff, with the incumbent projected to lead by a narrow 2.8 points in the general election. Polling averages project Ossoff leading Dooley by 6.7 points.
President Trump has yet to make an endorsement in the U.S. Senate race, although he said last fall that “some very good people are running.”
“And I understand that I haven’t made a decision yet,” Trump said at the time. “But I’m following that race very carefully.”
“It’s very important for Georgia to get a real senator because the senator they have now is a horrible senator,” Trump said of Democrat incumbent Sen. Ossoff. “Those people are great and they deserve a good senator because the man they have now is a weak, ineffective person.”
Katherine Hamilton is a political reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on X @thekat_hamilton.
Read the full article here
