The Senate 7: The Races That Will Determine 2014 Control – US News

6. GEORGIA – If Republicans wake up Nov. 5 just short of a majority, the primary race that’s percolating in the Peach State now could be the reason.

A seven-way scrum for the nomination – including three congressmen, former Susan G. Komen executive Karen Handel and Fortune 500 CEO David Perdue – will likely last through the end of July with a runoff.

And there’s really no clear leader.

The Republican establishment nightmare? If Rep. Paul Broun – the most unapologetically ideological and sharp-tongued of the lot – is one of the last two standing.

“I think the one who has the clearest path, the best chance of making a runoff is Paul Broun,” says Todd Rehm, an unaffiliated Georgia-based GOP consultant who runs the Georgia Pundit website.

The donor class, on the other hand, appear to be gravitating to Rep. Jack Kingston, whose fundraising prowess has allowed him to get on television already with a bio spot.

But the biggest impact of the muddled primary has been allowing Democrat Michelle Nunn to garner favorable press, stockpile millions and tact to the center.

“She is going to be a competitive candidate,” says GOP strategist Joel McElhannon, who is not working on any of the campaigns.

via The Senate 7: The Races That Will Determine 2014 Control – US News.