Poll: Doug Collins Has Triple Support over Kelly Loeffler in Georgia GOP Senate Primary

Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA) has over triple the support amongst Georgia Republican voters compared to interim Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) ahead of the state’s Senate Republican primary, according to a poll released Tuesday.

A Maxon-Dixon survey found mixed support for Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp’s nomination of business executive Loeffler to fill the Republican seat. Thirty-five percent of Georgia voters approved of Kemp’s appointment of the interim senator, 29 percent disapproved of the appointment, and 36 percent remained unsure.

A Public Policy Polling (PPP) poll found that Georgia Republican voters had mixed feelings towards the interim Republican senator. The PPP survey found that 20 percent of voters had a positive image of Loeffler, 18 percent had an unfavorable view, and 62 percent were unsure.

In contrast, 65 percent had a favorable view of Collins, six percent had an unfavorable view, and 29 percent were unsure.

The PPP also revealed that if the matchup were between Collins and Loeffler, Republican support of Collins is over three times that of Loeffler.

Fifty-six percent of Republican voters would pick the Georgia congressman, while only 16 percent would choose Loeffler, and 27 percent said that they remained unsure about whom to support.

The two Georgia Senate Republican primary polls follow as Collins continues to consider whether to run for the Georgia Senate seat. On November 3, 2020, the state will hold a special election to fill the remaining two years of former Sen. Johnny Isakson’s (R-GA) six-year term.

Kemp appointed Loeffler to the Senate seat over President Trump’s and grassroots conservatives’ opposition to the nomination. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Fox News host Sean Hannity, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, and conservative radio personality Mike Levin have all backed Collins over Loeffler for the Georgia Senate race.

The two Georgia polls could signal an opening for Collins to enter the race as an early front-runner in the Senate Republican primary. Collins has spent much of the last several months defending Trump as the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee during the Democrats’ impeachment inquiry.

The Mason-Dixon poll was conducted between December 19 and 23, contacting 625 registered Georgia voters through telephone, and has a four percentage point margin of error. The PPP survey surveyed 711 likely Republican voters.