The latest poll following Tuesday’s Georgia Republican Senate primary indicates that U.S. Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.) is leading opponent Derek Dooley by a significant margin ahead of the runoff elections scheduled for June 16.
Collins, representing Georgia’s 10th Congressional District and a trucking company owner, is backed by Governor Brian Kemp (R-Ga.). He will compete against Dooley, a former University of Tennessee football coach and attorney who is new to politics. Both candidates are seeking to fill the seat currently held by Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), who was first elected in 2021 and is often considered vulnerable in this election.
In Georgia, if no candidate secures over 50% of the votes, the top two candidates will advance to a runoff. As of Wednesday morning, Collins led the primary with 40.5%, while Dooley followed with 30.2%. Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.) garnered 25.1%, with the remaining candidates receiving less than 4%.
A recent Quantus Insights SNAP poll reveals that Collins is ahead of Dooley by 54% to 37%, with undecided voters at 9.3%. The pollster noted that Collins starts the runoff in a strong position, exceeding 50% in direct matchups.
Collins’ team has celebrated this poll as evidence that their grassroots approach is gaining traction. Campaign manager Josh Siegel criticized Dooley, saying he finds himself at the bottom and referencing a troubled coaching career with a history of disappointments. Siegel emphasized that voters value hard work, integrity, and results, traits he attributes to Collins.
In the gubernatorial race, Lt. Gov. Bert Jones (R-Ga.), who has Trump’s endorsement, and billionaire Rick Jackson are also headed to a runoff after defeating Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Attorney General Chris Carr.
The Snap poll for this race shows Jones slightly leading Jackson, 46.4% to 44.1%, with 9.5% still undecided. The poll highlighted that while Jones holds an advantage, Jackson remains in contention as the competition unfolds.
This Quantus Insights poll surveyed 782 likely Republican voters in Georgia on May 20, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 percentage points. Leading up to the primary, Collins had consistently shown strong numbers compared to his rivals.
As Election Day nears, there seems to be some momentum for Dooley, especially with endorsements and a significant advertising push from supporters. The RealClear polling average places Collins as a formidable challenger to Ossoff, currently showing the incumbent leading Dooley by 6.7 points.
Though Trump has yet to declare his support for the Senate race, he expressed interest in the candidates running, stating he is closely monitoring the situation. Trump has criticized Sen. Ossoff, calling for a “real senator” for Georgia while highlighting what he perceives as Ossoff’s inadequacies.
