Nunn leads all Republicans in Georgia

Democrat Michelle Nunn leads all of her potential Republican Senate opponents, some by comfortable margins, according to a new poll conducted for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

{mosads}She leads businessman David Perdue (R) by 46 percent to 45 percent, and has big leads over the rest of her opponents. Nunn leads former Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel (R) by 49 percent to 41 percent, and has double-digit leads over Reps. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.), Paul Broun (R-Ga.) and Phil Gingrey (R-Ga.).

The poll shows Nunn is in strong shape to force a tough race against whoever emerges from the Republican primary. Perdue, Kingston and Handel have been vying for the top two slots in the primary runoff after the May 20 primary election.

There are some caveats, however. The live-caller poll is of registered voters, a sample which tends to be a bit more Democratic than the group that actually votes on Election Day, and the election matchups are for those only “somewhat” likely to vote, a sign the poll may have a low voter screen.

President Obama’s approval rating is 44 percent in the poll with 51 disapproving in the overall poll, a bit high considering his struggles nationally and Georgia’s Republican lean.

Nunn has also been able to run positive ads with few attacks against her, while her Republican opponents have been jabbing one another for months. However, once a Republican nominee emerges, it won’t be as easy for her to stay above the fray.

The live-caller poll of 1,012 registered voters was conducted by Abt SBRI for the newspaper, including landlines and cell phones, from May 5-8, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percent.

This post was updated at 5:30 p.m.