Georgia Rep. Doug Collins is expected to announce a run for Senate this week, setting up a competitive fight against the state’s newly appointed senator that could jeopardize GOP control of the seat.
The Atlanta Journal Constitution first reported Monday evening that Collins, who is scheduled to be at the Georgia state House on Tuesday, is planning to launch his Senate candidacy this week.
Collins had been President Donald Trump’s pick for the appointment to replace Sen. Johnny Isakson, who left Congress for health reasons at the end of last year. But GOP Gov. Brian Kemp picked financial executive Kelly Loeffler instead.
The decision — widely regarded as an appeal to the female suburban voters who will be a key demographic in an increasingly competitive state — provoked a backlash from conservatives who felt Kemp defied the president with an insufficiently conservative pick.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have already said they’ll be treating Loeffler, who was sworn in earlier this month, as an incumbent in November’s special election. She has already committed to spending $20 million of her own money on the race.
The ranking member on the Judiciary Committee, Collins has been one of Trump’s most vocal defenders on Capitol Hill — a role he played in the national spotlight during the House impeachment inquiry. He’s hoping to run with the support of Trump’s “inner circle,” the Journal Constitution reported.
A GOP fight in this race threatens to pit Senate leadership against the president and his political operation, potentially sucking up party resources that Republicans would rather be using to defend incumbents in more competitive states.
But if Collins runs, he won’t just be facing Loeffler in a primary. Instead, candidates of all parties will run together on the November ballot. Some Republicans fear that multiple GOP candidates could split the Republican vote and boost a Democrat. If no one receives more than 50 percent of the vote in November, the top two finishers will face off in a January 2021 runoff.
A Collins candidacy will likely push Loeffler farther to the right. In the wake of her appointment, conservatives criticized her for having previously donated to Democrats. Susan B. Anthony List, which typically backs female candidates who oppose abortion rights, came out against her, with president Marjorie Dannenfelser calling her an “unacceptable pick” because of her “deep ties to the abortion industry.”
Loeffler recently released a pro-Trump campaign ad and criticized Utah Sen. Mitt Romney — to whom she donated in 2012 — for being open to calling witnesses in the Senate impeachment trial. While Loeffler needs the conservative base to show up for her in November, she also runs the risk of alienating the moderate voters her appointment was meant to appease.
Loeffler will be on the ballot at the same time as GOP Sen. David Perdue, in a state that Democrats are hoping to make a presidential battleground in 2020. Isakson’s term would have been up in 2023, so if Loeffler wins next fall, she’ll have to run again in 2022, when Kemp is also on the ballot.
Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales rates both Georgia Senate seats Likely Republican.
