Will a massive fundraising lead or a key endorsement prove more decisive in Georgia's runoff elections?

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In Georgia’s runoffs, the key endorsement looks more decisive in the Republican contests, while fundraising matters more in the general election that follows. In Tuesday’s GOP Senate runoff, the clearest late-moving force is Donald Trump’s endorsement of Mike Collins. Collins already led the first round with about 40.5% to Derek Dooley’s roughly 30.2%, and current polling has him favored. Trump’s backing reinforces Collins with the same Republican voters who dominate a low-turnout runoff. Dooley has an important endorsement of his own from Gov. Brian Kemp, whose PAC has spent more than $3 million to help him, but that support has not erased Collins’ structural advantage from the first round. The governor’s runoff points in the same direction. Lt. Gov. Burt Jones has Trump’s endorsement, while Rick Jackson has poured more than $80 million of his own money into the race. Yet Jones remains highly competitive and has held a narrow edge in some polling, suggesting that a trusted endorsement can offset even extraordinary spending. That does not make money irrelevant. Kemp’s spending has kept Dooley viable, and Jackson’s self-funding forced a runoff. But in a compressed runoff, where turnout is smaller and partisan cues matter more, endorsements from figures like Trump or Kemp can be more efficient than raw dollars. The bigger fundraising advantage belongs to Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff, who has raised more than $31 million for November. That edge is likely to matter more in the sta…

Trump Endorses Mike Collins 2 Days Before Georgia Runoff as Polls Show 10-Point Lead

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Trump Endorses Mike Collins 2 Days Before Georgia Runoff as Polls Show 10-Point Lead

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