Georgia Governor Race Tight as Jackson and Bottoms Run Nearly Even in New Polling

Republican businessman Rick Jackson holds 46% to Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms' slightly lower share in a new Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll for Georgia governor, with the midterm election next month. The University of Georgia's School of Public and International Affairs Survey Research Center conducted the poll, and early voting is surging statewide. Bottoms, a former Atlanta mayor, and Jackson are competing to succeed Gov. Brian Kemp. Another recent poll had Bottoms 1.5 points behind Jackson, while Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff led Republican Rep. Mike Collins by nearly seven points in the Senate race. Atlanta homicides rose 59 percent in 2020, compared with an average of 33 percent in other cities, during Bottoms' single term as mayor.

Right-leaning coverage leads with the poll, calling the race a dead heat and noting the early-voting surge. Left-leaning coverage calls Jackson the GOP's best hope in Georgia but says President Donald Trump's unpopular brand could pull the candidate down with moderate and independent voters. Alternative coverage asks why Bottoms trails Ossoff by more than five points and points to the crime and protests of 2020 as a possible drag. All three treat the race as close.