Georgia Polls: Is Trump Or Biden Leading In This New Swing State?
Polls in the battleground state of Georgia show President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden in a tight race. A New York Times/Siena College poll released Tuesday showed Trump and Biden both at 45%, with a 2.8 point margin of error.
The poll is consistent with other October polls in the state and reveals how Georgia, which has 16 electoral votes, might play a deciding role in the election. A recent Emerson survey showed Trump with a 1-point lead over the Democratic nominee, 48%-47%. The poll has a 4.3 point margin of error. The RealClearPolitics polling average shows Biden with a 1.2-point lead over Trump in Georgia.
Georgia has historically leaned to Republicans. If Biden wins Georgia, he would be the first Democratic presidential nominee to do so since Bill Clinton in 1992.
In 2016, Trump won Georgia by 5.1 points over Hillary Clinton, 50.4%-45.3%. Recent races in the state have been closer, with Republican Brian Kemp edging Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams by 1.4 points in the 2018 gubernatorial election, 50.2%-48.8%.
Abrams blamed voter suppression efforts for her loss to Kemp. She has since spearheaded Fair Fight, a campaign aimed at tackling voter suppression. Fair Fight has sought to increase voter turnout.
In recent years, young professionals have moved to Georgia’s largest city, Atlanta, for work opportunities. This younger, more diverse, group of voters is replacing the state’s older white population.
“What in essence is happening here is, Republicans are dying, and their grandchildren are voting Democratic,” University of Georgia political science professor Charles S. Bullock recently told Al Jazeera. “Wherever you look, you see Democrats rebounding. They haven’t reached majority status yet, but the numbers are moving in that direction.”
Trump is hoping for high rural turnout to win the state.
“Folks, we got a battle on our hands here in Georgia. We’re going to win, but it’s not going to be easy,” Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, a former Georgia governor, told a Trump audience at a recent in Macon. “Come to these events, but be in your own neighborhoods. Talk to your people — get out your Rolodex and your computer and call those people.”
There are also positive signs for Democrats in Georgia’s two Senate races, the NYT/Siena survey showed.
Republican Sen. David Perdue, a first cousin of Sonny Perdue, is running even with Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff at 43%. David Perdue recently made headlines after he mocked the pronunciation of Democratic vice-presidential candidate Kamala Harris’ name at a Trump rally.
Georgia’s special Senate election is a four-person race, though there are encouraging signs for Democrats. According to the NYT/Siena poll, Democrat Raphael Warnock has 32% support, while incumbent Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler is at 23%. Doug Collins, a Republican congressman who drew attention during Trump's impeachment proceedings, polled at 17% and Democrat Matt Lieberman trails at 7%.
If no candidate garners more than 50% of the vote in the jungle primary, the top two contenders will compete in a runoff election on Jan. 5, 2021.
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