ATLANTA — Andrew Clyde, a Navy veteran and gun business owner who campaigned as a strict pro-Trump conservative in northeast Georgia's 9th District, emerged from Tuesday's runoff as the likely successor to Rep. Doug Collins.
Clyde finished second place in the June primary to state Rep. Matt Gurtler, who ran on much of the same conservative platform. But in the runoff he leapfrogged Gurtler comfortably, winning with 56 percent of the vote.
RELATED: Georgia runoff election results
Clyde will now face Democrat Devin Pandy in the November general election for the 9th District seat, which Collins is vacating in order to run in the open Senate election to fill former Sen. Johnny Isakson's term.
No Democrat has held the 9th District since the 90s - and that Democrat, former Gov. Nathan Deal, switched to the Republican Party after his second term - and in Tuesday's runoffs Republicans outvoted Democrats by about an 8-to-1 margin.
The district encompasses a large swath of the northeast corner of Georgia, including Gainesville.
Clyde, who owns the firearms dealership Clyde Armory, made Second Amendment rights, support for law enforcement, and anti-tax positions central planks of his campaign. He frequently highlighted a past battle with the IRS that he characterized as government overreach, and made dismantling the IRS one of his campaign issues.
He also positioned himself as a close ally of President Trump's, including a photo of himself with Donald Trump, Jr. on his campaign site.
Clyde's Naval career lasted nearly three decades, according to the campaign site, and he served three combat tours in Kuwait and Iraq.
He and his family live in Jackson County and he operates the Clyde Armory showroom out of Athens.
MORE HEADLINES