AJC Poll Shows that Georgia Governor’s Race is Tied – Despite Rick Jackson Spending More than $100 Million Against Keisha Lance Bottoms

AJC Poll Shows that Georgia Governor's Race is Tied - Despite Rick Jackson Spending More than $100 Million Against Keisha Lance Bottoms

New polling from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution finds the Georgia governor's race in "a statistical dead heat", despite Jackson spending "$108 million of his own personal fortune."

Bottoms leads independent voters 43-38 and has "energized" Democrats who are "more fired up about their November choices. Some 68% say they are very enthusiastic, compared with 48% of Republicans." One Bottoms supporter predicted: "Democrats are that enthusiastic. I think Jackson is going down. He's seen as mean and adversarial."

The poll also indicates that Jackson's promise to be "Trump's favorite governor" will hurt him in this race - Trump's approval rating in Georgia sits at 41%, with 55% of voters disapproving.

The DGA's $10 million investment in Georgia makes us Keisha Lance Bottoms' largest donor.

"Keisha Lance Bottoms has the clear momentum - while Rick Jackson is stalling out despite dumping $100 million into this race," said DGA spokesperson Kevin Donohoe. "The fact that this race is now tied is proof that Keisha Lance Bottoms is a force to be reckoned with. Keisha's clear plans to expand Medicaid and bring down everyday costs for Georgians are resonating much stronger with voters than Jackson's promise to be 'Trump's favorite governor.'"

Read more on the state of the race below:

AJC poll: Bottoms, Jackson deadlocked in race for Georgia governor

• Republican Rick Jackson has a staggering financial edge in Georgia's race for governor, but Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms is campaigning in a climate shaped by President Donald Trump's tanking approval ratings.

• A new Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll shows neither candidate has managed to break away in a contest for the state's top job, the result of which will set a new political course for Georgia.

• The poll puts Jackson at 46% and Bottoms at 45%, a statistical dead heat with just over two weeks until Election Day. Another 8% of likely Georgia voters remain undecided.

• The results suggest both candidates head into Nov. 3 having consolidated their partisan bases. Jackson draws support from 94% of Republicans, while Bottoms receives backing from 93% of Democrats.

• That means that, much like other recent Georgia elections, the contest could hinge on independents, who narrowly back Bottoms 43-38. Another 18% of independent voters are undecided, tied for the highest share of up-in-the-air voters among any of the groups surveyed in the AJC poll.

• Jackson, a billionaire healthcare executive who spent at least $108 million of his own fortune to capture the GOP nomination, has used his vast resources to dominate television advertising and build an expansive "concierge"-style political operation.

• Bottoms, the former Atlanta mayor, can't match Jackson's spending. But she is campaigning in a political environment more favorable to Democrats, with U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff atop the ticket, growing pessimism about the nation's direction and a president whose approval rating is mired at 41%.

• The stakes extend well beyond the two candidates. Republicans are fighting to retain control of a governor's office they've held since 2003, while Democrats hope to elect the nation's first Black woman governor and capture a slate of down-ballot seats.

• And it suggests Democrats are more fired up about their November choices. Some 68% say they are very enthusiastic, compared with 48% of Republicans.

• Black voters, long the most reliable voting bloc for Democrats, are also more energized than white voters, with 63% saying they are "very enthusiastic" compared to 48% of white voters.

• Meanwhile, about one in eight likely GOP voters say they're not enthusiastic about their preferred candidates - roughly twice the share of Democrats.

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