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Ossoff holds eight-point lead as battle begins
Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff campaigned alongside national allies in Stonecrest as a new Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll showed him holding an eight-point lead over Republican challenger Mike Collins during Georgia early voting.
ATLANTA - U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff has an eight-point lead over Republican challenger Mike Collins, according to a new poll conducted for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution by the University of Georgia’s School of Public and International Affairs. Nearly 48% of likely voters said they would vote to reelect Ossoff, compared with 40% who said they support Collins. Nearly 12% were undecided.
What we know:
The poll surveyed 1,000 likely Georgia voters by telephone from Oct. 7-15. Its margin of error is 3.1 percentage points. Ossoff’s lead is outside that margin. The same poll found Georgia’s governor’s race in a statistical dead heat.
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A year ago, Ossoff was seen as the most vulnerable incumbent U.S. senator because he was the only Democratic senator up for reelection in a state that President Donald Trump won in 2024. The AJC reported that Ossoff has drawn national attention with a forceful campaign and holds a major fundraising advantage over Collins. Ossoff’s campaign declined to comment on the poll.
Jon Ossoff and Mike Collins
Voters split by age, race and education
By the numbers:
The poll found Collins leading among white voters, people 65 and older, and respondents without a college degree.
Ossoff’s strongest support came from women, Black voters, younger people and college graduates.
Both candidates received 43% support among male voters. Among respondents identifying as conservative, 13% said they planned to vote for Ossoff; 4% of liberals said they supported Collins.
CANDIDATE PROFILES
A majority of respondents, 55%, said they approve of how Ossoff is handling his job as senator, while 35% somewhat or strongly disapproved. Among independent voters, 61% gave him a positive approval rating.
Candidates focus on different issues
What they're saying:
Collins’ campaign said it was paying little attention to the poll. "The only poll that counts is happening right now with early voting at the ballot box," campaign spokesperson Meyer Siegfried said in a statement. He also accused Ossoff of relying on out-of-state donors. Ossoff held fundraisers in Los Angeles earlier this week.
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Some voters interviewed by the AJC said their choices were shaped by the candidates’ parties and positions on national issues. Villa Rica resident Willie Reid said he supports Ossoff because he wants a senator who will stand up to Trump. Braselton resident Linda Adcock said she is voting for Collins because she wants Republicans to retain control of the Senate. South Fulton resident Shawn Houston, who plans to vote early for Ossoff, pointed to the cost of health care, gas and groceries.
Republican spending questions
The AJC also reported that Collins faces headwinds from reports about people in his circle expressing racist and extremist views, as well as signs that Republican groups may be shifting resources to other battleground states. AdImpact, which tracks campaign spending, said the Senate Leadership Fund had recently canceled $7.6 million in ad reservations in Georgia. The group did not respond to the newspaper’s questions about whether it still planned to spend $44 million to support Collins.