Election 2010: Georgia Governor

New Poll from Rasmussen:

John Oxendine (R)
43%

Roy Barnes (D)
39%

Some other candidate
11%

Not sure
7%


Nathan Deal (R)
47%

Roy Barnes (D)
40%

Some other candidate
6%

Not sure
7%





Karen Handel (R)
42%

Roy Barnes (D)
39%

Some other candidate
9%

Not sure
10%




Eric Johnson (R)
38%

Roy Barnes (D)
42%

Some other candidate
9%

Not sure

11%


John Oxendine (R)
50%

Thurbert Baker (D)
29%

Some other candidate
9%

Not sure
12%



Nathan Deal (R)
47%

Thurbert Baker (D)
30%

Some other candidate
10%

Not sure
12%



Karen Handel (R)
43%

Thurbert Baker (D)
32%

Some other candidate
10%

Not sure
14%



Eric Johnson (R)
42%

Thurbert Baker (D)
30%

Some other candidate
11%

Not sure
17%


Democrat Roy Barnes trails three of his top four Republican opponents for the governorship of Georgia again this month. Barnes’ rival for the Democratic nomination, Thurbert Baker, runs a distant second to all the GOP hopefuls.

A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Voters in Georgia finds Congressman Nathan Deal still running slightly stronger than the other Republicans. Deal earns 47% support to Barnes’ 40%, virtually identical to his 46% to 39% lead a month ago. Against Baker, Deal posts a 47% to 30% lead.

State Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine and Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel edge Barnes by nearly identical margins – 43% to 39% and 42% to 39% respectively.

In April, both contests were virtual ties – Oxendine leading Barnes 45% to 43%, Handel besting the former Democratic governor 42% to 41%.



Against Baker, Georgia’s attorney general, Oxendine holds a 50% to 29% lead. Handel runs ahead of Baker by 11 points – 43% to 32%.

Barnes continues to lead just one of the top GOP hopefuls. He picks up 42% to State Senate President Eric Johnson’s 38%, marking virtually no change from a month ago. Johnson leads Baker 42% to 30%.

Barnes ran strongest against all the Republicans in March but has been unable to rise above the low 40s in any of the match-ups. Both parties pick their nominees in July 20 primaries.


What happened for Barnes to all of a sudden drop being in a tie with most of the GOP candidates to now be trailing by 4% to Oxendine to as much as 7% to Nathan Deal? Hmmmmmm.........

And its hard for me to believe that Nathan Deal is getting 47% of the vote with all of his ethical problems, while if you look at IA Poll, it shows him trailing Oxendine & barely inching ahead of Karen Handel. Its still early!

And why isn't Rasmussen polling Gen. Poythress against the GOP candidates? Or DuBose Porter?

Ramsmusen Poll: Election 2010: Georgia Governor Deal 46% Barnes 39%?

What on earth has Nathan Deal Done to be polling at 46%? I'll try to give Rasmussuen the benefit of a doubt!

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Election 2010: Georgia Governor

Rasmussen Poll: Isakson: 51% Thurmond 35%

A early poll taken by Rasmussen after the anouncement of Michael Thurmond into the U.S. Senate race shows Isakson with 51% to Thurmond 35%.

Here's what Rasmussen says:



Election 2010: Georgia Senate
Georgia Senate: Isakson 51%, Thurmond 35%
Friday, April 23, 2010 Email to a Friend ShareThisAdvertisement
Georgia Republican Johnny Isakson finally has a major Democratic opponent in his bid for reelection to the U.S. Senate, but the first Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of the race finds the incumbent holding on to more than 50% support.

Isakson posted a 52% to 31% lead over an unnamed generic Democratic candidate. Thurmond just entered the race on Wednesday.

Opposition to the recently-enacted national health care plan runs slightly higher in the state than it is nationally, which plays to Isakson's advantage, and Georgia has just joined a number of other states who are suing the federal government to stop enactment of the plan. Sixty percent (60%) of Georgia voters favor repeal of the plan, while 35% are opposed. This includes 55% who strongly favor repeal versus 28% who strongly oppose it.


Isakson gets 83% of the votes of those who strongly favor repeal, while Thurmond earns 82% support from the smaller group that opposes repeal.

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

Male voters in the Peach Tree State favor Isakson by a 62% to 24% margin. Female voters break even between the two candidates.

Voters not affiliated with either major party favor the Republican nearly three-to-one

Thurmond, who is African-American, attracts 81% of the black vote, while Isakson draws 69% of whites.
Fourteen percent (14%) of all Georgia voters have a very favorable opinion of Thurmond, while another 14%view him very unfavorably. Twenty-three percent (23%) don’t know enough about him to venture any kind of opinion.

Isakson is viewed very favorably by 19% and very unfavorably by 10%. Thirteen percent (13%) have no opinion of the first-term senator.

At this point in a campaign, Rasmussen Reports considers the number of people with a strong opinion more significant than the total favorable/unfavorable numbers.

Now Rasmussen has taken heat from some on the left as a republican leaning poll & only polls voters in republican leaning areas, so I don't know, but Isakson, who alot of folks say is very popular in the state only polling at 51% is surprising to me. My guess was 55-60%. Thurmond getting 35% at this early stage is not bad, I guess. Back in 2008, a weak candidate, Jim Martin was much lower that that when he entered the race against Saxby Chambliss in 2008 around the upper 20-low 30% range.

I expect those numbers for Thurmond to go up once he starts campaigning. Curious to see how does RJ Hadley fare against Isakson?

Although healthcare will be a key issue for the GOP, the economy, the deficit, debt, jobs, foreign & national security will all be on the table in this fall elections. If the economy improves between now & November, it will help democrats, if not then it'll be a tough row to hoe for the Donkeys.

Hmmm............Tea Party 48% Obama 44%

On major issues, 48% of voters say that the average Tea Party member is closer to their views than President Barack Obama. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 44% hold the opposite view and believe the president’s views are closer to their own.

Not surprisingly, Republicans overwhelmingly feel closer to the Tea Party and most Democrats say that their views are more like Obama’s. Among voters not affiliated with either major political party, 50% say they’re closer to the Tea Party while 38% side with the President.

Eighty-seven percent (87%) of those in the Political Class say their views are closer to the president. The Obama Administration has created a significantly larger government and political role in the economy.

Sixty-three percent (63%) of Mainstream Americans say their views are closer to the Tea Party.

Last week, Rasmussen Reports released data showing that 47% of voters felt closer to the views of Tea Party members than to Congress. Only 26% felt closer to Congress.

Fifty-three percent (53%) believe their views are closer to the average school teacher than to Congress. Teachers scored six points higher than the Tea Party members when compared to Congress.

In a head-to-head match-up, 47% said they felt closer to the average school teacher while 41% said they felt closer to the average Tea Party member. Once again, the results betray a heavy partisan difference. Democrats prefer the school teachers, Republicans are closer to the Tea Party, and unaffiliated voters are evenly divided.

Earlier polling found that just 16% of voters nationwide consider themselves part of the Tea Party Movement. However, views of the Tea Party remain more positive than negative among voters. Just 11% believe Congress is doing a good or an excellent job.

Roy Barnes Loses Ground to GOP Candidates for Guv. Are There Concerns?

Former Governor Roy Barnes in a new Rasmussen Poll has fallen behind three of the four republican nominees for governor.

2010 Georgia Governor Election

John Oxendine (R)
45%

Roy Barnes (D)
37%

Some other candidate
7%

Not sure
10%



Nathan Deal (R)
43%

Roy Barnes (D)
37%

Some other candidate
7%

Not sure
14


Karen Handel (R)
45%

Roy Barnes (D)
36%

Some other candidate
5%

Not sure
14%


Eric Johnson (R)
37%

Roy Barnes (D)
37%

Some other candidate
8%

Not sure
18%


With the exception of Johnson, all the Republican candidates carry 50% or more of the male vote against Barnes but break even among female voters. Johnson leads the Democrat by 12 among men but trails by 10 among women.

Voters not affiliated with either major party prefer the Republican in all four contests.

So why the drop for Barnes in the latest poll?

Does it have anything to do with his performance in the debate, or is it that people aren't that warm to another return of Roy Barnes to the Governor'a mansion.

Democrats statewide at this point max out between 38-42% since the republicans took over the state in 2002. These numbers are not encouraging for Barnes as he try to become governor for a second time, the last to do was EuGene Talmadge back in 1941.

Will these new numbers make democrats look at the other democratic candidates for governor. I'm sure it will & another thing, like I've been sayin' democrats cannot put all of their eggs in one basket on the governor's race & forget the others. Democrats need to, have to have a strong ticket if they waht to regain the governor's mansion.

This poll says the GOP carries more than 50% of the male vote against Barnes, they split among women. Why didn't Rasmussen poll David Poythress, DuBose Porter, Thurbert Baker in head to head matchups against the GOP, no one knows

This is the only poll that showed how the others fare against the republican challengers:

Research 2000 poll from May/2009

Thurbert Baker (D): 42
Karen Handel (R): 40

David Poythress (D): 43
John Oxendine (R): 47

David Poythress (D): 43
Karen Handel (R): 39

Thurbert Baker (D): 42
John Oxendine (R): 47

Roy Barnes (D): 45
Karen Handel (R): 39

No one knows how DuBose Porter does against the republican challengers because no one hasn't polled him in a head to head matchup.

What's surprising to me given the troubles of the GOP with its problems with corruption, ethics, & its inability to solve some of the state's biggest problems, but yet they still lead the presumed democratic frontrunner. For democrats to win, it has to start with the grassroots.

You can't build a chimney from the top down, it starts from the bottom up.

New Rasmussen Poll shows Roy Barnes with Commanding Lead. But is it legitimate?

Former Governor Roy Barnes is still far ahead of his opponents in Georgia's 2010 Democratic Gubernatorial Primary race.

The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of likely Democratic Primary voters in the state shows Barnes with a 31-point lead - 48% to 17% - over his closest competitor, State Attorney General Thurbert Baker. Barnes held a 24-point lead over Baker in October and a 33-point edge in August.

The remaining candidates all still remain in low single digits. Former Georgia Secretary of State David Poythress picks up four percent (4%) of the vote for the second straight poll. House Minority Leader Dubose Porter receives support from just three percent (3%) while Ray City Mayor Carl Camon is the choice of one percent (1%) of primary voters.

Nineteen percent (19%) are undecided at this point, compared to 21% in October and 30% in August. Another 10% prefer some other candidate.

Thirty-three percent (33%) of Democratic Primary voters hold a very favorable opinion of Barnes, showing no change from October. Just six percent (6%) view Barnes very unfavorably.

Baker is viewed very favorably by 14%, also showing no change from October’s results. Only four percent (4%) give Baker a very unfavorable rating.

At this point in a campaign, Rasmussen Reports considers the number of people with a strong opinion more significant than the total favorable/unfavorable numbers.

Now at this point I'm surprised to see Porter & Poythress still in single digits. But this is the main reason why they still are:

Porter, Poythress and Camon all continue to have very favorables and very unfavorables in low single digits, in large part because a substantial number of primary voters don’t know enough about them to venture even a soft opinion. More than half of primary voters are not sure what they think of any of the three candidates.

Once these candidates begin to present themselves on television with campaigh ads, these numbers will go up considerably. Another factor is that voters aren't paying attention to the governor's race, at least not yet.

Don't expect to see aby of the other candidates to simply bow out because of this latest poll. But when you put each candidate in a general election against the GOP, this is what democrats need to be looking at:

Research 2000 General Election Matchups from early May:

Roy Barnes (D): 44
John Oxendine (R): 46
Roy Barnes (D): 45
Karen Handel (R): 39

Thurbert Baker (D): 42
John Oxendine (R): 47

Thurbert Baker (D): 42
Karen Handel (R): 40

David Poythress (D): 43
John Oxendine (R): 47

David Poythress (D): 43
Karen Handel (R): 39
(MoE: ±4%)

This was a early look at general election matchups & so far the only one that's been taken by a major polling firm. If you were to do a poll now, you would probably have every democratic challenger either leading each republican candidate or maybe even tied with each candidate. John Oxendine & Nathan Deal has been accused of ethics wrongdoing, Eric Johnson may take heat from not fully investigating the whole Glen Richardson saga when he had the chance. That leaves Karen Handel as of right now as the only republican candidate who hasn't faced any adversity so far & she according to this early head to head matchups is trailing Poythress & Baker. Research 2000 didn't include Porter & Camon ( I don't know why), but if you poll each of those two gentlemen, they would be very competitive as well. (This poll was taken back in the spring just to remind you).