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Biden trailing behind Trump in Georgia poll amid Dem's 'dismal' numbers with independents
Donald Trump is maintaining a lead over incumbent US President Joe Biden by 8 percentage points among registered voters in Georgia, according to a new survey.
Former US President Donald Trump is maintaining a lead over his successor Joe Biden by 8 percentage points among registered voters in Georgia, according to a survey conducted by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that shows 45 percent of Peach State voters would back the Republican, compared to 37 percent who would support the Democratic incumbent, if the presidential elections were conducted today.
The poll comes as an alert for Biden, who turned Georgia blue in 2020 for the first time in nearly 30 years of Republican dominance. It is to note that Trump won his first 20 delegates in the race for the Republican nomination after receiving 51% of the vote in the Iowa Caucus.
As the White House race shifts to next week’s primary in New Hampshire, many respondents were still undecided about their support for either candidate, with 6.5 percent stating they would back another candidate, over 6 percent saying they would not vote, and roughly 6 percent saying they were unsure.
According to the poll, a sizable portion of independent voters stated they would either not support Biden (13.8%) or are still unsure of their choice (10.7%).
Even if Biden continues to lead among independents and moderates, his backing is insufficient to overturn Trump's advantage in Georgia, where there are more registered Republican voters than Democrats.
About half of moderates stated they prefer Biden in comparison to 26.4 percent who support Trump and 10.2 percent who say they back another candidate.
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Why is Biden struggling?
Following Trump's resounding win on Monday in the first nominating contest of the 2024 election cycle, the poll revealed that over 20% of Georgians were unsure about who to support in the presidential battle, which has shifted from Iowa.
Biden lacks support among many Democratic and independent voters who played a key role during his narrow 2020 victory over Trump in Georgia, including 10% of Black voters who say they won't be voting in the White House contest at all.
Low approval ratings in Georgia are a major disappointment for Biden. A small majority of registered voters say they "strongly disapprove" of the Democrat, and over 62% of them are dissatisfied with the president's performance in office.
Biden's woes don't end here as his backing among independents is “dismal”. Only 37% of them think highly of him, while 54% are unhappy with his performance. Additionally, there is disagreement among Black voters, which is the most loyal constituency of Democrats.
Does Trump need to worry?
In a state where Trump has waged war on Republican incumbents who rejected his calls to nullify the election results in 2020, the ex-US president confronts his own difficulties. Approximately 25% of Republicans say they are undecided or skeptical of the plan to support Trump's re-election.
Trump has four criminal court cases looming, one of which is in Georgia, where he and eighteen former allies are accused of defying the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act by attempting to influence the 2020 election results in the state.
Around 1,007 registered voters participated in the poll, which was conducted by the University of Georgia’s School of Public and International Affairs from January 3 to January 11.
The AJC’s November poll had hinted a near tie between Trump (45%) and Biden (44%). In the last presidential elections, Biden secured win in Georgia by less than 12,000 votes.
