Poll: Despite legal troubles, Trump stands strong among GA GOP voters
Former President leads GOP field by 40 points in GA
Former President Donald Trump’s legal troubles are not having an impact on his frontrunner status in Georgia, according to a new University of Georgia/Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll.
The survey, which was fielded after Trump and 18 others were indicted in Fulton County for trying to overturn the 2020 election, finds the former president with a commanding lead in Georgia’s Republican presidential preference primary.
Trump leads the pack with the support of 57% of Republican primary voters. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis comes in a distant second place at 15%. Every other candidate is in a single-digit traffic jam, with an additional 14% remaining undecided.
“In a hypothetical two-way matchup against DeSantis, Trump had an overwhelming 33-point lead. And half of Georgia Republicans say Trump is “definitely” the strongest candidate to defeat President Joe Biden next year.”
The former President leads the field among virtually every voting bloc, from race, gender, economic status and educational attainment.
When asked about Trump’s legal troubles, more than 4 in 5 Georgia Republicans said that the charges against him in Fulton County are politically motivated. However, roughly half believe that the charges are serious and 44% say that they are not.
Trump was booked on the charges last week.
And 61% continue to believe the former president’s assertion that there was widespread fraud in the 2020 election despite an abundance of evidence to the contrary.
Republican voters in Georgia were also asked about the main focus of the Fulton County investigation: Trump’s January 2021 phone call to state election officials. 32% believe he behaved appropriately on the call, 41% believe he acted inappropriately, and 27% are undecided.
The survey also asked Republicans about their stances on social issues.
A combined 65% believe that abortion should be illegal in most or all cases.
52% “strongly support” Georgia’s 2019 six-week abortion ban.
41% “strongly oppose” same-sex couples having the right to marry.
Just 18% say they will support a candidate who will “defeat woke”
And Gov. Brian Kemp, according to the survey, is the most popular Republican leader in Georgia. A whopping eighty percent of Georgia Republicans approve of Kemp’s job performance, with just 15% disapproving.
It’s only part of what has been a remarkable turnaround for Kemp, who was re-elected in a landslide after drawing the ire of Trump and some of his supporters for his refusal to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
“Other politicians got mixed reviews. About 44% approve of Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, a Trump-backed Republican who was elected last year to Georgia’s No. 2 spot. And 46% approve of Raffensperger, compared with one-third who somewhat or strongly disapprove of him.”
Georgia’s presidential primary will be held on March 12, 2024.