Former Rep. and 2008 Libertarian presidential nominee Bob Barr looks like the underdog in his Republican primary on Tuesday.
On Tuesday, voters in Georgia go back to the polls to decide their parties' nominees in several primaries across the state. This time all the primary action to watch is on the Republican side, as the GOP picks their nominee for three safely red House seats and one competitive Senate contest. We'll be liveblogging the results at
Daily Kos Elections starting at 7:00 PM ET when the polls close.
• GA-Sen (R): Tuesday's runoff pits wealthy former Dollar General CEO David Perdue (a cousin of former Gov. Sonny Perdue) against South Georgia Rep. Jack Kingston. Perdue outpaced Kingston 31-26 in the primary, but Kingston appears to have the edge going into the runoff. The congressman won the endorsements of the third and forth place primary finishers, and has been receiving extensive air support from the US Chamber of Commerce. Perdue hasn't helped his situation with his occasional off-message moments.
Polls show Kingston consistently ahead, however recent surveys have shown Perdue narrowing the gap, indicating an upset may be possible. A major test for Kingston will be his performance in the Atlanta metropolitan area. Kingston ran third in most of the large counties in and around Atlanta: While he does not need to win the area to prevail statewide, he needs to at least prevent Perdue from running up the score. The Republican nominee will take on Democratic nominee Michelle Nunn, one of Team Blue's top recruits this year.
Head below the fold for a look at the state's House runoffs.
• GA-01 (R): State Sen. Buddy Carter faces physician Bob Johnson in the race to succeed Kingston in this Savannah-area seat. Carter started out as the clear favorite and ran ahead of Johnson 36-23 in the primary. However, Johnson has the support of the Club for Growth, and they have spent big to define Carter as a liberal. The Club for Growth used this formula last week to defeat another state legislator in a Congressional runoff in nearby Alabama, and they are hoping they can pull it off again. Romney won 56 percent here and the Republican nominee will be the clear favorite in November.
• GA-10 (R): Businessman Michael Collins faces pastor and radio host Jody Hice in the runoff to replace failed Senate candidate Paul Broun. Collins has been emphasizing his business conservative credentials while Hice has been running as a social conservative. Hice ran ahead of Collins, the son of a former congressman, 34-30 in the primary after being badly outspent.
Hice has largely closed the financial gap in the runoff and may benefit from disproportionate turnout from religious conservatives in what is expected to be a low-turnout race. Hice also has Broun's support, while Collins is backed by Newt Gingrich and third-place Senate primary finisher Karen Handel. If Hice makes it to Congress, expect him to continue to make news for all the wrong reasons. Romney won 63 percent here.
• GA-11 (R): Former Rep. Bob Barr is seeking to return to Congress after a 12 year absence, but it doesn't look like it will be easy. Barr, who served as one of Bill Clinton's impeachment managers and was the the 2008 Libertarian presidential nominee before returning to his old party, must get past state Sen. Barry Loudermilk. Loudermilk won a 37-26 plurality in the primary against Barr and has outspent him about two to one in the runoff. Barr is well-known enough that he may be able to pull off an upset, but it appears that Loudermilk has the advantage here: An unanswered Loudermilk internal poll gave him a brutal 49-28 lead. Romney won 67 percent in this exurban Atlanta seat.