Not paying attention to the Georgia Senate race? You should.

With the GOP field as crowded as it is, the possibility of a runoff is alive and well. The field includes Reps. Paul Broun, Jack Kingston and Phil Gingrey, and former secretary of state Karen Handel, so the odds that none of the candidates will eclipse 50 percent are pretty good.

Why does the prospect of an elongated runoff matter? Democrats are heavily courting Michelle Nunn (daughter of Sen. Sam Nunn) to make a bid. Many strategists believe Nunn, who appears to be closing in on a final decision, could clear the field.

If she runs and does clear the field — neither of which are sure bets — she would potentially have a bigger window (about two months) to prepare for the general election fight while two Republicans beat each other up.

“This validates the reason why Democrats in Georgia must rally behind a consensus candidate to avoid a costly runoff,” said Democratic strategist Tharon Johnson.

Republicans would also have to mind their campaign cash differently. They would have to spend money in the primary in such a way that they don’t leave themselves cash-strapped for a longer-than-usual runoff campaign.

Republican strategist Joel McElhannon says he isn’t worried about the downside of the new calendar for the GOP, since it doesn’t change the date of the runoff.

“In my view, the ruling doesn’t change much,” he said. “Georgia Republicans face a brutal primary regardless because we have multiple quality candidates running.  Our eventual nominee is going to emerge battle scarred regardless of any calendar change. The runoff date is still the same, so the eventual nominee will not be decided until late in the game, which makes the general election even more of a challenge.”

via Not paying attention to the Georgia Senate race? You should..