Georgia Republicans made their choice last month. Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA) won the GOP nomination to take on Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA), and almost immediately, the all-too-familiar narrative took hold: Ossoff has the money, Republicans are behind, and Georgia is simply too expensive to compete. That story is easy. It is also incomplete.Fundraising totals make headlines, but they do not predict elections. The better question is not how much money a campaign raises, but what kind of campaign that money is building. Republicans do not need another reminder that Georgia Senate races have been difficult. The party has lost races many believed were winnable. But the lesson is not that Georgia cannot be won. The lesson is that statewide campaigns require every piece of the puzzle: organization, resources, and authentic grassroots support. Missing any one of those is costly.Collins’s primary victory deserves attention not simply because he won, but because of how he won. He entered the race without a long-standing political machine, was outspent on television by nearly 15-to-1, and faced an opponent backed by Georgia’s political establishment, institutional support, and large-dollar donors. He won anyway.
The money says Ossoff wins Georgia. The grassroots say watch out
Mike Collins was outspent 15-to-1 in Georgia's GOP primary and won anyway, fueled by 88,000 small-dollar donations averaging $11.91.
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