GOP heavyweights make Senate contest intense, fluid | savannahnow.com

ATLANTA — Three congressmen, a female ex-statewide official, a successful businessman, the nation’s only black GOP Senate candidate and a newcomer who argues Republicans must broaden their appeal on social issues add up to a crowded primary and a range of choices for voters.

Adding to Republican voters’ challenge in picking a Senate nominee is the well-funded political scion expected to win the Democratic nomination. GOP stalwarts are not only selecting the person they would like to see representing them in Washington but also the one with the best chance of winning in November.

Recent polls show how fluid and unpredictable the race is, especially because likely low turnout and a crowded ballot mean a difference of a relatively small number of votes will determine which two candidates get in the runoff and which stay home.

Independent polls have shown former corporate executive David Perdue in the lead followed closely by either Jack Kingston, a Savannah congressman, or Karen Handel, the former secretary of state who narrowly lost a runoff four years ago for the gubernatorial nomination.

Perdue has gained some support, allowing him to pull further away from his rivals in the Republican Senate primary, according to a survey released Thursday.

Handel and Kingston are effectively tied for second in the InsiderAdvantage survey conducted by automatic phone callers to 531 likely primary voters Wednesday evening for Morris News and Fox5 of Atlanta.

Trailing in the polls and rounding out the field are Paul Broun, an Athens congressman; Phil Gingrey, a Marietta congressman; Derrick Grayson, a transportation engineer who’s the only black Republican candidate running for the U.S. Senate; and Art Gardner, a patent attorney pushing for moderate social positions to attract independents to the party.

Because the candidates have similar views on most issues — with the exception of Gardner — the choice for voters is probably dependent on experience, personality and circumstance.

via GOP heavyweights make Senate contest intense, fluid | savannahnow.com.