New poll reveals sudden split between top two Georgia races
ATLANTA - Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff leads Republican Mike Collins 50% to 42% in Georgia's Senate race, while Republican Rick Jackson holds a tight 48% to 46% lead over Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms for governor.
Georgia statewide election numbers
By the numbers:
In the race for Georgia governor, Republican Rick Jackson holds 48% support, Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms sits at 46%, and 6% of voters remain undecided.
For the U.S. Senate seat, incumbent Democrat Jon Ossoff holds 50%, Republican challenger Mike Collins receives 42%, and 8% of voters are undecided.
Split ticket voter patterns
Why you should care:
InsiderAdvantage Pollster Matt Towery stated that he has never seen a dynamic quite like this in his years as an analyst.
Usually, a well-funded Republican Senate candidate tracks closely in percentage points to a well-funded gubernatorial candidate, but this trend points toward high levels of ticket splitting in a state that rarely sees it.
Independent voters swing races
The backstory:
Independent voters are driving the divide between the two major contests.
Jackson and Lance Bottoms are basically tied among independents in the governor's race, but Collins is losing independent voters to Ossoff by almost 20 points.
Metro Atlanta campaign strategy
Local perspective:
Jackson and his campaign team have run a strong effort by finding ways to connect with suburban and exurban voters across the sprawling metro Atlanta area.
Meanwhile, Towery noted that while there is a chance for the Senate race to tighten, Ossoff reaching 50% support presents a serious challenge for Collins.
Polling data collection methods
What we know:
The survey data highlights key splits in voter preference across Georgia, with top line tabs posted separately by InsiderAdvantage.
What we don't know:
Officials have not yet confirmed whether future campaign events or debate appearances will narrow the gap in the U.S. Senate contest before Election Day.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from InsiderAdvantage pollster Matt Towery, who provided survey results and political analysis on the Georgia gubernatorial and U.S. Senate races.