Republican Representative Mike Collins of Georgia has advanced to a runoff election against Derek Dooley, a former University of Tennessee football coach. This follows a primary election where neither candidate secured 50 percent of the vote. The runoff will determine the GOP candidate for the U.S. Senate from Georgia.
Recent polling by JMC Analytics and Polling shows Collins leading Dooley by a significant margin. When asked, “If the Republican runoff race for the U.S. Senate were held today, which candidate would you support?” 50 percent of respondents chose Collins compared to 36 percent for Dooley. Fifteen percent remained undecided.
The candidate emerging from the runoff will challenge Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff in November’s senatorial election in Georgia.
Poll Details
The JMC Analytics and Polling survey involved 600 participants on May 26 and May 27 concerning the Georgia Republican runoff. The margin of error is 4 percent.
Among undecided voters, 39 percent lean towards Collins, 27 percent toward Dooley, and 34 percent are still undecided. In a forced choice scenario, Collins received 55 percent to Dooley’s 39 percent, with 7 percent undecided.
Collins holds a favorability rating of 61 percent, with 18 percent viewing him unfavorably. Twenty-one percent have no opinion of him, and 1 percent have never heard of him. Dooley’s favorability stands at 50 percent against a 19 percent unfavorability rating. Twenty-eight percent have no opinion on Dooley, and 2 percent have never heard of him.
Georgia Republican Governor Brian Kemp has endorsed Dooley after deciding against running for the Senate seat himself. However, President Donald Trump has yet to endorse a candidate in this race.
Additional Poll Insights
A snap poll by Quantus Insights, conducted after the primary on May 20, shows Collins with 53.5 percent and Dooley with 37.2 percent. This poll sampled 782 likely Republican voters and has a margin of error of 3.9 percent.
Another survey by InsiderAdvantage, conducted on May 20 and May 21 with 800 likely voters, shows Collins with 46 percent and Dooley with 41 percent. Thirteen percent were undecided. The margin of error is 3.46 percent.
InsiderAdvantage’s Matt Towery noted that low voter turnout is expected in the runoff. Candidates need to focus on dedicated Republican voters who consistently follow politics. Collins benefits from his longstanding role in the Georgia GOP. However, Governor Kemp’s political influence and his endorsement of Dooley could impact the outcome.
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