Republican Nathan Deal holds a slim lead in the governor’s race, with Democrat Roy Barnes within striking distance, a new poll released this week shows.
Deal leads Barnes 45 percent to 41 percent, according to the poll conducted for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the Georgia Newspaper Partnership. But given the margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points, the race could be even closer. Libertarian John Monds received 5 percent of the vote in the poll.
PDF: 2010 GA Governor poll
Brad Coker, managing director of Mason-Dixon Polling & Research Inc., which conducted the poll, said the Nov. 2. election could come down to turnout as well as how voters perceive Deal’s recent spate of financial problems, which were revealed after nearly all of the poll was conducted.
Barnes, the former governor seeking a return to the office he lost in 2002, must persuade black voters to come to the polls, Coker said, noting that the trend across the nation is that GOP voters are chomping at the bit to cast a vote.