Poll: Dem, GOP candidates for Georgia governor dead even

The race for governor in Georgia is deadlocked between Republican Brian Kemp and Democrat Stacey Abrams, according to a poll released Thursday.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution/Channel 2 Action News poll shows Abrams trailing her opponent by less than one point, well within the poll’s 3 percent margin of error.

{mosads}Kemp, Georgia’s secretary of state, holds the support of 45.3 percent of likely 2018 voters in the survey, slightly ahead of the 44.9 percent supporting Abrams, a former minority leader in the state’s House of Representatives. Some 7.6 percent of voters say they are undecided, while just under 3 percent say they will support a Libertarian candidate Ted Metz.

If elected, Abrams would become the first black female governor in U.S. history. Kemp, who won the support and endorsement of President Trump during his primary battle, faces a general election amid underwater approval ratings for the president in Georgia.

Trump’s job performance is currently supported by 42 percent of likely Georgia voters, compared to 51 percent who say they disapprove of the job he has done. The president previously won the state, typically considered a safe Republican stronghold, by just 5 points over Hillary Clinton (D) in 2016.

Voters are more optimistic about current leadership in the state, according to the survey. Ninety percent of Republicans and a majority of Democrats approved of the current state of Georgia politics in the poll, including two-thirds who said that the state’s economy could be described as “good” or “excellent.” Just 6.5 percent said the state of Georgia’s economy was “poor.”

The poll, conducted between Aug. 26 to Sept. 4, contacted 1,020 Georgia voters who said they would definitely or probably participate in the 2018 election.