Georgia’s contested Senate race, which is not a primary, continues to heat up. Sitting Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA), who was appointed to by Gov. Brain Kemp (R-GA) when former Sen. Jonny Isackson (R-GA) retired, is challenged by Rep. Doug Collins. The race has drawn a lot of national attention, and establishment Republicans are standing firm behind Sen. Loeffler. Both qualified to run for the seat on Monday:
Yesterday, I qualified to run for the United States Senate. I am honored to have the confidence of so many Georgians across our great state. The momentum for our campaign and has been tremendous - and it continues to grow every day! #gapol #gasen
— Kelly Loeffler (@kloeffler) March 3, 2020
.@RepDougCollins just qualified against @SenatorLoeffler: “Bring it on.” #gapol #gasen pic.twitter.com/hBvWQNbgra
— Greg Bluestein (@bluestein) March 2, 2020
Senate Leadership Fund (SLF), an independent Super PAC dedicated to defending the GOP Senate majority, released a blistering ad against Rep. Collins’ history as a criminal defense attorney, and his stances on criminal justice reform.
The ad paints Collins as a “criminal’s friend,” and a “conservative’s nightmare,” while pointing to violent criminals Collins represented during his tenure as a defense attorney.
Rep. Collins responded, claiming that SLF is attacking President Trump’s landmark First Step Act:
Hey @kloeffler @sen_fund @NRSC, y'all care to explain to @realdonaldtrump why you're attacking his signature criminal justice reform accomplishment in a critical 2020 state just to hurt my campaign? https://t.co/yCZZnSz6gQ #gasen #gapol
— Doug Collins (@CollinsforGA) March 3, 2020
SLF Communications Director Jack Pandol contends that Rep. Collins' version of the bill is more radical than President Trump's First Step Act:
Typical DC Doug taking credit for the bill the President signed – a completely different bill! Collins' bill allowed sexual predators to gain early release; the bill POTUS signed closed this loophole. Reporters shouldn’t let his team lie by conflating the two. #gasen #gapol https://t.co/C0RAxrHPgp
— Jack Pandol (@jackpandol) March 3, 2020
This Georgia Senate contest continues to heat up.