Doug Collins leads Kelly Loeffler by 2 points in Georgia Senate race

Rep. Doug Collins (R) is leading Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R) by 2 points in the Georgia special election to fill the seat of retired Sen. Johnny Isakson (R), with the Democratic candidate a close third, according to the Democratic-leaning Public Policy Polling.

The poll, commissioned by End Citizens United, found that Collins would garner 23 percent of the vote in the multicandidate field if the election were held today, while Loeffler would collect 21 percent.

Democrat Raphael Warnock came in third at 20 percent.

The poll’s margin of error is plus or minus 3.6 percentage points, putting Collins, Loeffler and Warnock in a statistical dead heat.

If no candidate manages to reach the 50 percent threshold during the November election, a runoff election between the top two finishers will be held in January.

In head-to-head matchups, the survey found that Collins would beat Warnock 43 percent to 41 percent if the election were held today — a razor-thin lead within the survey’s margin of error. 

Warnock would beat Loeffler 43 percent to 40 percent, according to the survey, an advantage that is again just within the margin of error. 

Collins has the highest favorability rating of the three candidates, though barely, according to Public Policy Polling.

Thirty-four percent of respondents said they have a favorable opinion of Collins, while 35 percent said they had an unfavorable opinion and 32 percent said they weren’t sure.

Loeffler registered a 29 percent favorable rating and a 43 percent unfavorable rating, while 28 percent said they weren’t sure what to think.

Warnock garnered a 32 percent favorable rating and a 33 percent unfavorable rating, with 35 percent of respondents saying they weren’t sure of their opinion, putting him in roughly the same position as Collins.

Support for Warnock increased substantially when respondents were informed of his background as the pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church, the former pulpit of Martin Luther King Jr., that he is one of 11 children raised in a public housing project and that he is the first in his family to graduate from college.

The poll found that 36 percent of respondents said they would vote for Warnock when informed of his background, while 23 percent said they would vote for Collins and 18 percent said they would vote for Loeffler.

After being told of Warnock’s accomplishments, 44 percent of voters said they would back him in a head-to-head matchup against Collins, while 42 percent said they would support the GOP House member.

When Warnock’s life story was included, 46 percent of respondents said they would vote for him over Loeffler, while 39 percent said they would support Senate Republican incumbent. 

The poll of 734 registered voters in Georgia was conducted June 25 and June 26.