DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — Voters will return to the polls to decide who will challenge incumbent Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff in the fall. That is because the race between Congressman Mike Collins and Derek Dooley is headed to a runoff after neither candidate could secure more than 50% of the vote.
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“We have a four-week sprint to the finish line,” said Former football coach and son of legendary University of Georgia Coach Vince Dooley, Derek Dooley, who is in the playoff of a lifetime as he takes on U.S. Congressman Mike Collins in the Republican Senate primary.
On primary election night, Collins beat out Dooley by 10 percentage points, and Dooley beat out Congressman Buddy Carter with 30% of the vote.
“A testament to the strength of our Gov. Brian Kemp, who was the person who recruited Derek to run and who has been his strongest and most consistent supporter,” said UGA Political Science Professor Dr. Charles Bullock, who warns the run-off could get ugly.
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“What typically happens because it’s one-on-one here, that’s when the ads become more personal, more vicious, more frequent,” said Dr. Bullock.
As of election night, each side is selling that they have the best shot of beating Ossoff.
“What you may not know is I poll best against Jon Ossoff in a head-to-head matchup, and I perform best with suburban voters and women,” said Rep. Collins.
“Beating Jon Ossoff is not going to be done by another DC politician. That’s not how they’re going to beat them,” said Ossoff.
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