Who is leading the GOP in Senate, governor races? New InsiderAdvantage poll
(FILE) Billionaire Rick Jackson (left) filed a federal lawsuit against Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones (right) on February 10, 2026, claiming an "unfair" fundraising advantage in the Republican gubernatorial primary due to Georgia's leadership committ
ATLANTA - In-person early voting kicked off Monday in Georgia for the May primary.
Republican Rick Jackson currently leads the race for Georgia governor while the U.S. Senate primary remains a toss-up, according to a new InsiderAdvantage poll of likely Republican voters released last Wednesday.
Jackson leads gubernatorial field
What we know:
Rick Jackson currently holds 32% of the vote in the race for governor, holding a lead fueled by support from women and senior voters. Lt. Gov. Burt Jones is in second place with 25%, finding his strongest support among younger voters. Other candidates trailing in the poll include Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger at 11% and Attorney General Chris Carr at 6%. InsiderAdvantage pollster Matt Towery noted that Raffensperger and Carr appear to be splitting metro voters who are less inclined to support the president.
Senate race remains a toss-up
By the numbers:
The battle for the U.S. Senate is highly competitive, with Rep. Mike Collins at 27% and Rep. Buddy Carter at 24%. Because the gap between the two is only 3%, they are within the poll's 3.46% margin of error. Derek Dooley has 16% of the vote and is gaining ground, potentially benefiting from the support of Gov, Kemp. Approximately 29% of voters remain undecided in this contest.
Mike Collins and Buddy Carter
High undecided numbers and Trump influence
What we don't know:
While 23% of voters are undecided in the governor's race and 29% in the Senate race, it is unclear how many of these people will actually show up to vote. Towery explained that many people who say they are voting this far out from an election often do not participate. Additionally, the poll did not include specific data for the lieutenant governor contest, which InsiderAdvantage expects to be released later.
Context of the survey
The backstory:
This survey is the first in a series of 2026 polls from InsiderAdvantage, a firm that has polled Georgia elections since 2002. The poll surveyed 800 likely Republican primary voters on April 22 and April 23. The data was weighted for age, race, and gender to ensure accuracy among the GOP primary electorate.