WASHINGTON (AP) — Georgia Republicans will finalize their picks in marquee races for U.S. Senate and governor in a state primary runoff election on Tuesday. Voters will also select nominees for several congressional and state legislative districts, lieutenant governor, secretary of state and a handful of other contests in which no candidate received a majority of the vote in the May 19 primary.U.S. Rep. Mike Collins and former University of Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley are the finalists for the Republican nomination to challenge U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff in November. Ousting Ossoff would give Republicans more breathing room as they defend competitive seats in Alaska, Maine, Ohio, North Carolina and elsewhere. Republicans can afford to lose up to three of their current 53 Senate seats and still maintain control of the chamber with Vice President JD Vance casting tiebreaking votes.
Collins was the top vote-getter in the May 19 primary among the field of five. He received about 41% of the vote by amassing sizable wins in smaller, more rural counties across the state, as well as in some larger counties north of the Atlanta area.
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Dooley’s path to the runoff looked quite different. He carried only 14 of Georgia’s 159 counties, but they included five of the six most populous: Fulton, Gwinnett, Cobb, DeKalb and Clayton. He also carried Clarke County, which includes the University of Georgia in Athens. Overall, he received about 30% of the primary vote.
