So far, the primary has been relatively civil. But Bullock notes that candidates expecting a runoff often avoid fully unloading on one another in the first round to make it easier to woo the supporters from eliminated rivals.
Democrats are salivating at the prospect of a gloves-off runoff race. Ossoff, who faces no serious primary opposition, has spent the year raising money, expanding his political operation, and building his statewide profile while Republicans battle among themselves. Ossoff entered the spring with more than $31 million on hand after raising over $14 million in the first quarter alone, making him one of the strongest Senate fundraisers in the country.
“The state’s a bit pinker than it is violet,” Bullock says of Georgia. “But Ossoff’s campaign funding, and just his political skills have impressed even some Republicans. There’s no cohesion on the Republican side.”
As of Sunday afternoon, early-voting data appeared to show Democrats with a 15-point turnout advantage over Republicans, signaling an enthusiasm gap that has added to Republican anxieties about the state of the Senate race heading into November. Some of the weakest turnout rates have come from deep-red Northwest Georgia, including the 14th Congressional District once represented by former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who departed Congress after publicly breaking with Trump.