Donald Trump enters the final 50 days of the election with a slim 3-point lead over Hillary Clinton in Georgia, a state not won by a Democrat since Clinton’s husband carried it in 1992.
Trump edges Clinton 45-42 percent among likely voters in the Peach State, according to a Monmouth University poll released Monday. Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson carries 8 percent support, while 5 percent of voters remain undecided.
In and around the state’s capital city of Atlanta, Clinton carries a 20-point lead over Trump due to her overwhelming advantage among black voters. Across the rest of Georgia, Trump leads his Democratic opponent 51-33 percent.
As has been the case in most state-level polls, much of Trump’s support in Georgia stems from white voters who prefer him to Clinton by more than 45 percentage points. The Republican presidential hopeful carries an even greater lead among white voters without a college degree, 78-10 percent.
Black voters continue to be a stronghold for Clinton, who leads Trump 88-4 percent among the African-American voting bloc in Georgia. The former secretary of state trails Trump by 45 points or more among white voters both above and below age 50.
“There has been some talk of Georgia becoming part of a demographic realignment in presidential politics. However, Clinton is not quite making the needed inroads among young white voters to take the lead here,” Monmouth University Polling Institute Director Patrick Murray said in a statement.
Clinton also suffers from a slightly higher unfavorable rating in Georgia. Fifty-six percent of voters hold a negative view of the Democratic presidential hopeful, while 50 percent feel the same toward Trump. Roughly a third of voters view both Clinton and Trump favorably.
In terms of the U.S. Senate race, incumbent Republican Sen. Johnny Isakson appears in good shape with a 16-point lead over his Democratic challenger, Jim Barksdale. Fifty-one percent of Georgians gave Isakson a positive job approval rating.
The Monmouth University poll of 401 likely voters in Georgia was conducted between Sept. 15-18. Results contain a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percent.
