Opinion Savvy Poll Conducted for InsiderAdvantage and Fox 5 Atlanta/ Morris News
Transportation Plan Shows Little Support; Bush Leads Crowded Potential Field among Ga GOP Voters
A poll conducted by Opinion Savvy for Fox5 Atlanta and Morris News shows little support for the current version of transportation funding legislation under consideration in the Georgia House of Representatives. The legislation is overwhelmingly opposed by Republican respondents to the survey. The same poll asked Republican voters who they would vote for if Georgia’s GOP presidential primary were held today. Jeb Bush led the field, but no potential candidate received more than 22% support in the poll. The survey was conducted the evening of February 4 among 431 registered voters and is weighted for age race gender, and other than for the GOP presidential question, political affiliation as well. It has a margin of error of 4.7%. Crosstabs at the bottom of the page.
Transportation Legislation
The survey asked Georgia voters the following based on print news accounts of the proposed legislation:
“What is your opinion of proposed legislation that would raise $1 billion for transportation in Georgia by replacing the state sales tax on gasoline and motor fuel with an excise tax of 29.2 cents per gallon and by establishing fees on electric vehicles and providing $100 million in state issued bonds that would provide for $100 million for mass transit in 2016?”
Favor: 22%
Oppose: 48%
Undecided: 30%
Analysis from InsiderAdvantage Founder/Fox5 Political Analyst Matt Towery:
“The biggest problem with this proposal as it currently stands is that it has very little support from GOP voters. Since the legislature is controlled by Republicans, it will be difficult to pass any bill that resembles this one in this session. Republicans responded with 60% opposing the legislation and 14% favoring (the rest unopposed). But even Democratic respondents were split with only 36% favoring the legislation and the rest either undecided or opposed.”
GOP Presidential Race in Georgia
The survey asked respondents who said they would vote in the GOP presidential primary in Georgia:
“For whom would you vote if Georgia’s Republican presidential primary were held today?”
Jeb Bush: 22%
Scott Walker: 17%
Ben Carson: 16%
Mike Huckabee: 16%
Rick Perry: 7%
Rand Paul: 4%
Marco Rubio: 4%
Chris Christie: 3%
Donald Trump: 2%
Other/Undecided: 9%
Towery: “This race is in its earliest formative stage. Bush leads as what most call the “establishment GOP’ candidate. But what sticks out is how so many “second tier” names, particularly those who are considered more ‘conservative’ such as Walker, Carson, and Huckabee are holding their own. It would suggest that Georgia Republicans might be searching for a new face and one they consider more conservative, to be their nominee. But it is, as mentioned, very early in the prcess.”
Crosstabs: GA Issues 2 5 15
