After a contentious runoff election in Georgia’s new 9th district, Representative Doug Collins is now the GOP candidate. He faces Democratic challenger, Jody Cooley, in November’s election.

With 54% of the vote, Representative Doug Collins beat Martha Zoller in what would be the climax of a bitter campaign. Collins, a state Representative from Gainesville, says his record at the state Capitol and his North Georgia roots make him the conservative choice for the new district.

Challenger Jody Cooley acknowledges the difficulty in competing as a Democrat in one of the state’s most politically conservative areas. But he says the people in the 9th district are ready to get past social issues and tackle national debt and job creation:

“I want to talk about kitchen table issues that matter to people and how they live. I think people are tired of talking about abortion and gay rights. I think they want to talk about moving the country forward with a responsible budget and with a job program that works for people.”

Collins says his campaign strategy is clear: Stay the course:

“I think just continuing to make a strong, clear distinction that this is a conservative district, this is not a Democratic district, this is not a liberal or progressive district, this is where values and economics matter and it’s really a choice between more government or less government and we have a history and a record of less government and that’s what Washington needs right now, so we’re going to continue to carry that message forward.”

Georgia gained the new congressional district after the 2010 census revealed a population surge in North Georgia.

Tags: 9th District, Doug Collins, parker wallace, Jody Cooley