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Georgia GOP Senate hopefuls make final push
Republican U.S. Senate candidates Mike Collins, Derek Dooley and Buddy Carter are campaigning across Northeast Georgia as a new poll shows Collins leading the primary field by 10 points.
ATLANTA - Three Republican U.S. Senate candidates traveled across Northeast Georgia this week to meet with voters and donors as a new poll shows a shift in the primary race ahead of the May 19 election.
Northeast Georgia campaign stops
What they're saying:
Supporters and donors for Derek Dooley gathered at a restaurant on the Gainesville square Friday to hear the candidate's pitch.
Dooley, the son of the legendary Georgia football coach Vince Dooley, campaigned alongside Gov. Brian Kemp on Friday afternoon.
"We're very supportive of Medicaid," he said. "We want to be able to have affordable health care, no matter what your zip code is. I live in a rural county. It's a real priority for me, but it's going to require a lot of serious leadership to actually work for the people."
Rep. Mike Collins, R-Georgia, spent Friday morning in Toccoa speaking with voters about his legislative history.
"I've already shown that I can deliver for the state of Georgia and the people, not just in Georgia, but for this country," Collins said.
He added that he believes the senate needs more leaders with a proven track record of delivering results.
Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Georgia, stopped in Dahlonega Thursday. He called North Georgia an "integral" part of the state and pledged to support President Trump's policies.
"I represent Georgia values, and we've got to win this race," Carter said. "We've got to get somebody in the United States Senate who represents Georgia values. Jon Ossoff does not represent our values. That's something that we've got to get changed."
U.S. Senate primary polling
Dig deeper:
A new Quantus Insights poll indicates that Rep. Mike Collins leads the Republican primary field.
Collins, who currently represents parts of Northeast Georgia, holds a lead of about 10 points over Dooley. However, Dooley has seen a rise in recent polling data as the primary election approaches.
Democrats' response
The other side:
Devon Cruz, the Democratic Party of Georgia's Senior Communications Advisor, released the following statement on the Republican campaign stops:
"Buddy Carter, Mike Collins, and Derek Dooley are traveling the state to remind Georgians of their number one priority: being an obedient, loyal puppet to Donald Trump and his harmful MAGA agenda. Georgians deserve better than that in their U.S. Senator, and we’ll make sure that none of them are anywhere near the U.S. Senate between now and November."
Primary election timeline
What's next:
Early voting in Georgia continues until next Friday. The primary election will take place on May 19.
The winner of this Republican contest will face incumbent U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Georgia, in the general election this November.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered by FOX 5 reporter Rey Llerena and photojournalist Eric Len, who conducted interviews with candidates in Gainesville, Toccoa and Dahlonega, as well as polling data from Quantus Insights and a statement from the Democratic Party of Georgia.