In 2004, when Zell Miller retired, Herman Cain ran for the Republican nomination for Senate. He ran against fellow Republicans Johnny Isakson and Mac Collins, and both Cain and Collins hoped to deny Isakson a majority and thus force him into a run off. Cain came in second with 26.2% of the vote, but because Isakson won 53.2% of the vote, there was no runoff. Cain thus did not become the nominee, nor the Senator from Georgia.
But what if Cain and Collins managed to steal away enough votes from Isakson to force the run off? Could Cain have won?
And what if Cain did indeed manage to become Senator from Georgia in 2004?