Georgia Republicans worry their path to defeating Ossoff is becoming more difficult

Georgia Republicans are already bracing for their bruising Senate primary to continue past Tuesday night. Once viewed as a clear GOP pickup opportunity, the contest to take on Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff has remained largely static for months — with no candidate fully separating from the field and President Donald Trump yet to get involved.

Many expect the contest to go to a runoff, interviews with more than half a dozen GOP strategists and campaign officials reveal. Mike Collins, the front-runner, is likely to make the cut, but it’s unclear whether he’ll face fellow Rep. Buddy Carter or former football coach Derek Dooley, who’s had a late rise in the polls. That means while the candidates are poised to duke it out until June 16 for the GOP nomination, Ossoff has free rein to shore up his cash advantage and attack lines ahead of November. The Democrat, Republicans say, is beatable — but the path to unseating him gets more difficult if their own primary drags on. “The longer the party stays fractured ... that harms the chances in the general election,” said Jason Shepherd, the former Cobb County GOP chair. “The beneficiary of all this is Jon Ossoff. All he has to do right now is continue to raise money.” Cole Muzio, a conservative activist and president of the Frontline Policy Council who voted for Collins, said there's a large faction of voters still undecided, which “is wild for what was initially supposed to be the most competitive race in the country…. It is not a good scenario.” With Trump still on the sidelines, the candidates have been largely left to battle it out on their own, exposing fault lines over MAGA loyalty. Collins and Carter, both allies of the president, have mostly aimed their fire at one another as they work to win over the far-right base. Collins, who has the backing of the Club for Growth PAC, a major conservative super PAC, appeared at a campaign rally with Trump earlier this year, while Carter has presented himself as a “trusted MAGA warrior.” Carter has ramped up his spending in the contest’s closing weeks, but recent polling shows Dooley beating him in second place.

Key points

• Many expect the contest to go to a runoff, interviews with more than half a dozen GOP strategists and campaign officials reveal.
• Mike Collins, the front-runner, is likely to make the cut, but it’s unclear whether he’ll face fellow Rep.
• Buddy Carter or former football coach Derek Dooley, who’s had a late rise in the polls.
• That means while the candidates are poised to duke it out until June 16 for the GOP nomination, Ossoff has free rein to shore up his cash advantage and attack lines ahead of November.
• The Democrat, Republicans say, is beatable — but the path to unseating him gets more difficult if their own primary drags on.