The Georgia Senate race, once seen as a prime pickup opportunity for Republicans, has unraveled amid a contentious primary battle.
While Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., leads in public polling for the primary, Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga., and former football coach Derek Dooley are fighting to force a runoff in the May 19 primary, which would extend the contest into June.
President Donald Trump has yet to endorse any candidate.
Incumbent Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff has amassed an eight-figure campaign war chest and leads all three candidates in general election polling, even though Trump carried Georgia in the 2024 presidential election.
“Jon Ossoff has $24 million,” said Ryan Mahoney, a GOP strategist. “He’s on TV constantly, carefully articulating his positions and grilling Tulsi Gabbard — really being methodical.”
“He has tons of resources — great name ID, a lot of exposure — while the Republicans are fighting against each other, trying to see who can break out and ultimately be the nominee,” Mahoney added.
Republicans have blamed the race on Gov. Brian Kemp declining to run for Ossoff’s seat and criticized the National Republican Senatorial Committee for not recruiting better candidates or working to clear the field.
“It’s a mess that could have been much less messy if they had figured this out six months ago,” a Georgia Republican strategist said.
The three Republican candidates have engaged with the White House to get Trump’s endorsement, but the White House has not responded to requests for comment on whether Trump would endorse in the race.
Trump and Kemp have not always seen eye to eye; the president endorsed a primary challenge to Kemp in 2022 that the governor easily defeated.
“It’s no secret that the profile of a candidate that President Trump would prefer is much different than the profile of a candidate that Governor Kemp would prefer,” another Republican strategist said.
“The nexus between those two just made it very hard, if not impossible, to come out with a consensus candidate,” the strategist added.
Nick Puglia, a spokesperson for the NRSC, called Ossoff “the most vulnerable incumbent on the map.”
Georgia “has been and remains a top state for Republicans to expand President Trump’s Senate Majority,” Puglia said.
The Cook Political Report lists the race as “toss-up.”
