Republicans will have to wait three more weeks to learn who will carry their flag in Georgia’s new 9th Congressional District.
State Rep. Doug Collins led former radio talk show host Martha Zoller, but neither had the majority necessary to claim the nomination. Retired educator Roger Fitzpatrick was a distant third but won enough of the vote to deny Collins or Zoller an outright win.
Collins and Zoller will face each other again in a primary runoff Aug. 21. The winner will be the overwhelming favorite to win in November, as the district is heavily Republican. Gainesville attorney Jody Cooley will also be on the ballot as a Democrat.
Political experts in the district give Collins a slight edge to win the nomination.
“The thing Doug Collins has going for him is fundraising ability, the established organization,” said Carl Cavalli, a political scientist at North Georgia College & State University in Dahlonega. “Martha has star power. She’s a relatively well-known media personality.”
Douglas Young, a professor of political science at Gainesville State College, sees Collins as akin to an incumbent, based on his six years in the state House.
“Even though Martha Zoller is very popular, the fact that Collins has several years of actual legislative experience probably gives him an edge in the minds of a lot of voters,” Young said.
Collins, an Army chaplain and attorney, is one of Gov. Nathan Deal’s floor leaders in the Georgia House. He has close ties to Deal, but the governor has officially remained neutral in the race. Collins has been endorsed by Zell Miller, the former U.S. senator and governor, and by House Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge.
Zoller, meanwhile, was endorsed by former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., and former presidential candidate Herman Cain.
There were few policy differences between Zoller and Collins. Instead, the race hinged on Collins’ experience in the General Assembly and Zoller’s appeal as an outsider and longtime talk radio host across the district.
The new 9th District was created after the 2010 census showed strong growth in North Georgia. Much of the district was carved out of the 10th, home to U.S. Rep. Paul Broun, an Athens Republican, and the old 9th, which is now the 14th and is represented by Tom Graves, a Republican from Ranger.
The new district, a 20-county wedge of mountains and lakes in northeast Georgia, is a conservative stronghold and home to three major power players in state government and the Republican Party: Deal and Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, both of Hall County, and Ralston.
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