Republican Representative Mike Collins of Georgia will compete in a runoff election against former University of Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley. This follows a primary election earlier this month where neither candidate secured over 50 percent of the votes. This upcoming runoff will determine the Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate seat.
A survey by JMC Analytics and Polling indicates Collins is leading Dooley by double digits. The poll asked, ‘If the Republican runoff race for US Senate were held today, which candidate would you support?’ The results show 50 percent support Collins, while 36 percent favor Dooley. 15 percent remain undecided.
The winner of this runoff will face Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff in November, highlighting a significant political contest in Georgia. Both candidate’s campaigns were contacted by Newsweek for comments, with emails sent out on Friday.
What To Know
The JMC Analytics and Polling survey sampled 600 respondents on May 26 and May 27 regarding the Georgia Republican runoff. It has a margin of error of 4 percent. When questioning undecided voters on their preference in the runoff, 39 percent leaned towards Collins, 27 percent preferred Dooley, and 34 percent remained unsure. Collins received 55 percent in a forced ballot, compared to Dooley’s 39 percent, with 7 percent undecided.
Collins holds a 61 percent favorability rating against an 18 percent unfavorable rating. 21 percent have no opinion, and 1 percent have never heard of him. Dooley’s favorability is at 50 percent, with a 19 percent unfavorable rating. 28 percent have no opinion about Dooley, and 2 percent are unaware of him.
Governor Brian Kemp supports Dooley after opting not to pursue the Senate seat himself. President Donald Trump remains uncommitted in endorsing a candidate in this race.
What Polls Show
Quantus Insights conducted a snap poll post-primary election last week. Collins holds 53.5 percent compared to Dooley’s 37.2 percent. Conducted May 20 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., it surveyed 782 likely Republican Georgia primary voters, with a modeled likely Republican runoff electorate, having an effective sample size of 739 and a margin of error of 3.9 percent.
Another poll by InsiderAdvantage taken after last week’s primary gave Collins 46 percent of the vote versus Dooley’s 41 percent, with 13 percent undecided. This poll was conducted on May 20 and May 21 among 800 likely voters, with a margin of error of 3.46 percent.
InsiderAdvantage Pollster Matt Towery commented on the low expected voter turnout for the runoff. Towery emphasized the need for candidates to target dedicated Republican voters who consistently engage in political activities and voting. He mentioned Burt Jones had an advantage in his race due to Trump’s endorsement, while Collins may have an edge due to his longstanding involvement with the Georgia GOP. However, Kemp’s endorsement of Dooley could impact Collins’s advantage.