Sixteen months after he lost a heartbreakingly close election for Congress in Georgia's 7th District, physician and conservative Dr. Rich McCormick appears in strong shape to win the Republican primary in the newly redrawn 6th District.

Victory in the May 24 primary would mean that McCormick would almost certainly go to Congress. In contrast to the old 7th, in which Democrats had a 9 percentage-point advantage among voters, the new 6th District is "R+15." (Under Peach State election law, should no candidate win a majority in the primary, the two top vote-getters will compete in a runoff June 21.)

"I think my background in medicine and as a Marine Corps pilot are life experiences that will make me a better congressman," McCormick told Newsmax. "And someone who will be listened to when we take up the critical issues of our national security and applying free market reforms to healthcare."

Two years ago, the candidate known as "Dr. Rich" in the Atlanta area was edged out by liberal Democrat Carolyn Bourdeaux by just over 10,000 votes of more than 370,000 cast.

With Georgia's congressional districts redrawn, Bourdeaux will square off against fellow Democrat Rep. Lucy McBath in the new, securely Democratic 7th District primary.

In seeking the Republican nomination in the new 6th, McCormick benefits from name recognition throughout the Atlanta area from his previous race and from a war chest of $1.5 million — more than three times as much as his leading rival.

That rival, attorney Jake Evans, has major political connections through his father, Randy Evans — a former Republican National Committeeman who served as U.S. ambassador to Luxembourg under then-President Donald Trump. 

But the younger Evans' loyalty to Trump has come under question from some not-so-warm comments in 2016, about the Republican then-presidential nominee.

"I'll vote for Donald Trump because I think he aligns more with my personal ideology," Evans told a TV interviewer in 2016, "But I will do it reluctantly. I think it's an election of the lesser of two evils — I'll be honest with you — for a lot of millennials." 

Other Republicans may enter the all-important primary in the new 6th, but for now, the attention and support of conservatives is with McCormick. 

John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.