All eyes are on Trump after no Republican emerges as the frontrunner in Georgia’s U.S. Senate race

Georgia is set to host what will likely be the most expensive U.S. Senate race in the country next year. But Republicans are still searching for a clear frontrunner to take on Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff, who continues to raise huge sums of cash as he prepares to defend his seat. U.S. Reps. Mike Collins […]

From left to right, Congressman Buddy Carter, former football coach Derek Dooley and Congressman Mike Collins are all competing for a chance to challenge U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff next November. Photo credit: Maya Homan and Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder

Georgia is set to host what will likely be the most expensive U.S. Senate race in the country next year. But Republicans are still searching for a clear frontrunner to take on Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff, who continues to raise huge sums of cash as he prepares to defend his seat.

U.S. Reps. Mike Collins and Buddy Carter, along with former football coach Derek Dooley, are locked in a three-way race to take on the first-term senator. But latest fundraising figures suggest that the party remains largely undecided on a consensus candidate.

Collins, a Butts County trucking company owner and the son of a former congressman, said he raised about $1.9 million since entering the race, plus an additional $1 million transfer from his congressional campaign account. His team is hailing the fundraising numbers as proof that Collins is the “unmistakable frontrunner” in the Republican primary.

Dooley, who boasts an endorsement from Gov. Brian Kemp, also raised a little less than $2 million since he joined the contest. The former Tennessee Volunteers coach and son of Georgia coaching legend Vince Dooley has to walk a fine line between satisfying both Kemp’s allies and MAGA loyalists. But he also has to alleviate concerns about his scant political history and thin ties to Georgia.

And Carter, a wealthy pharmacist from St. Simons Island and the only candidate who entered the race before the start of the third quarter, raised another $1 million over the three-month stretch and loaned himself an additional $2 million. “We didn’t inherit anything from daddy,” he said in an apparent dig at his two rivals. “We’re earning it – every dime, every vote.”

With no leading Republican candidate, all eyes will now turn to President Donald Trump – who can single-handedly turn this into a completely different race with a social media post announcing an endorsement. 

And the president said Wednesday that he is indeed keeping a close eye on the Senate race (and continued doubling down on false claims surrounding his 2020 defeat). “The governor has spoken to me about [the Senate race] a lot, he likes [Dooley] a lot, and I understand that. I haven’t made a decision yet. But I’m following that race very carefully. I think it’s important for Georgia to get a real senator because [Ossoff] is a horrible senator.”

Ossoff continues to be among the top Senate fundraisers in the country, raising another $12 million between July and September and ending the period with more than $20 million stashed away. But it’s only a small fraction of what the race is likely to cost: nearly half a billion dollars was spent on Georgia’s 2022 Senate battle between Sen. Raphael Warnock, a Democrat, and Republican Herschel Walker.

And Ossoff has established a reputation as one of his party’s strongest fundraisers. His 2017 campaign in a congressional special election brought in over $30 million. The Atlanta Democrat has now raised more than $200 million since his 2020 Senate bid, when he and Warnock  ousted Republican incumbents to deliver a narrow Democratic Senate majority.

“If we’ve learned anything from recent elections, it’s that raising more money isn’t necessarily an indicator of future electoral success,” said Adam Carlson, a Democratic pollster who has worked behind the scenes on several Georgia campaigns. “But Jon Ossoff raising more than 250% of all three of his potential Republican opponents combined in Q3 is telling.”

Head-to-head polling between Ossoff and his Republican rivals has been sparse. But the incumbent appears to be starting out on solid ground: Morning Consult’s updated tracking poll  found his approval rating at 51% with a disapproval of 34%. But will these numbers hold by this time next year once negative campaign commercials start flooding the airwaves? 

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