Gurtler and Clyde advance to Republican primary runoff in Georgia’s 9th Congressional District

State Rep. Matt Gurtler and Andrew Clyde defeated seven other candidates to advance to an August 11 Republican primary runoff in Georgia’s 9th Congressional District. Incumbent Rep. Doug Collins (R) is not seeking re-election, leaving the seat open. As of 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time, Gurtler had received 22% of the vote followed by Clyde with 19%. A candidate needed to receive more than 50% of the vote to advance directly to the general election.

Gurtler was endorsed and supported by the Club for Growth and Protect Freedom PAC. The two groups spent a combined $598,966 on mailers and ads supporting Gurtler.

Clyde is a U.S. Navy veteran and the owner of Clyde Armory, a firearms business. He led in campaign receipts with $438,895, self-financing $412,935 of that total.

Three election forecasters rate the general election as safely Republican. President Donald Trump (R) won 78 percent of the vote in the 9th District in the 2016 presidential election.