Rasmussen Poll: Deal 45% - Barnes 39%

A new Rasmussen Poll out shows Deal leading Barnes by 6% according to their new poll.

Nathan Deal (R) 45%

Roy Barnes (D) 39%

John Monds (L) 5%

Some other candidate 6%

Not sure 5%



The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Georgia Voters finds Deal with 45% support, while Barnes earns 39% of the vote when leaners are included. Libertarian candidate John Monds trails with five percent (5%). Six percent (6%) prefer another candidate in the race, and five percent (5%) are undecided.

This marks a fallback for Deal whose support has been steadily rising from 43% in March to 51% last month. But Barnes is also at the low end of his support, having earned 39% to 43% of the vote in those same surveys back to March. This is the first survey to include Monds.

The survey of 500 Likely Voters in Georgia was conducted on September 21, 2010 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4.5 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Deal has the support of 81% of Georgia Republicans, while 76% of the state’s Democrats back Barnes, who hopes to reclaim the governorship he led from 1999 to 2003. Voters not affiliated with either party prefer the GOP candidate by 10 points. Monds earns single-digit support from all three groups.

Sixty-seven percent (67%) of Deal supporters say they’ve already made up their minds how they will vote in November. Sixty-two percent (62%) of those who favor Barnes also say they are certain of how they will vote, as are 76% of those who support Monds.

Twenty-eight percent (28%) of Georgia voters consider themselves a part of the Tea Party movement or know someone who is. Sixty-one percent (61%) do not. This is comparable to findings nationwide.

Deal earns 77% of the vote from those who are part of the Tea Party movement or know someone who is.

Nearly half (49%) of voters in the state believe the Tea Party movement is good for the country, while 30% think it’s a bad thing.

Forty-nine percent (49%) of Georgia voters have a favorable opinion of Deal, with 13% who view him Very Favorably. He is viewed unfavorably by 40%, including 20% with a Very Unfavorable view.

For Barnes, favorables are 44% and unfavorables 50%, including 17% Very Favorable and 29% Very Unfavorable.

Monds is regarded favorably by 28% and unfavorably by 26%. This includes six percent (6%) Very Favorable and nine percent (9%) Very Unfavorable. But 46% don’t know enough about the Libertarian hopeful to voice any kind of opinion of him.

Fifty-three percent (53%) of Georgia voters approve of the job being done by Republican Governor Sonny Perdue, who defeated Barnes in 2002. Forty-four percent (44%) disapprove. This is a slight improvement from a month ago. Perdue is term-limited and cannot seek reelection.

IA/WSB Poll shows the two tied at 42%, while Mason/Dixon shows Deal 45% Barnes 41%.

One thing for sure, Deal has taken a big hit in the polls, while Barnes has been between the 39-43% range.