Poll: Biden leads Sanders by 44 points in Georgia

Former Vice President Joe Biden has a hefty lead in Georgia over Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) according to an Atlanta Journal-Constitution survey released Tuesday, though the state’s primary was delayed for nearly two months amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Biden has a 44-point edge among polled Georgia Democratic voters, garnering roughly 66 percent support compared with 22 percent for Sanders. Only 11 percent are undecided.

The poll was released before Biden thumped Sanders in primaries in Arizona, Florida and Illinois by double digits in all three states. 

Georgia, which will award 105 pledged delegates, is seen as favorable ground for Biden. The former vice president has swept Sanders across southern states and has trounced him among black voters, who make up a sizable chunk of Georgia’s primary electorate.

The poll shows Biden leading Sanders among every demographic in the Peach State except voters aged 18-29, which Sanders leads by about 24 points. Biden has an overwhelming 55-point lead among African Americans.

Georgia election officials announced Saturday they are moving the primary scheduled for March 24 to May 19, saying that the coronavirus outbreak could put voters at risk and potentially lessen turnout. 

“Given these circumstances, I believe it is necessary and prudent to suspend in-person voting in the Presidential Preference Primary, and the local elections associated with them, and resume in-person voting for those elections as part of the already scheduled May 19 General Primary,” Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said.

The Peach State has had 147 confirmed cases of the coronavirus. One person has died. 

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll surveyed 807 likely primary voters from March 4-14 and has a margin of error of 3.4 percent.