AUGUSTA, Ga. - Republican Doug Collins of Gainesville has been elected to a new congressional seat in north Georgia.
Collins, a GOP state lawmaker, defeated Democrat Jody Cooley on Tuesday in the new 9th District. Unofficial election returns show Collins with 77 percent of the vote. That's with 30 percent of precincts reporting.
The state Legislature drew the 9th District to be a shoo-in for the GOP. Georgia picked up the district, the state's 14th U.S. House seat overall, from population growth in the 2010 Census.
In east Georgia's 12th District, Democratic Rep. John Barrow is locked in a close race with Republican challenger Lee Anderson.