United States: Former President Donald Trump holds a lead over President Joe Biden in Georgia, despite a recent guilty verdict in the “hush money” case, according to a poll published on Wednesday.
The Quinnipiac survey indicates Trump outpacing Biden 49 percent – 44 percent in a direct contest within the pivotal swing state. This comes shortly after a New York City jury convicted Trump on 34 counts related to falsifying business records to mask a payment to ex-adult film actress Stormy Daniels preceding the 2016 election, as reported by the New York Times.
Biden narrowly clinched Georgia by a 0.3 percent margin in the 2020 election—a result Trump vehemently contests.
Partisan allegiances significantly influenced the Georgia respondents, with 94 percent of Republicans endorsing Trump and 93 percent of Democrats favoring Biden.
Among independents, both 2024 contenders garnered 45 percent of the vote.
Trump’s lead widens with the inclusion of third-party candidates in the poll.
Trump captures 43 percent against Biden’s 37 percent, while independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. secures 8 percent, Libertarian Party contender Chase Oliver garners 3 percent, independent Cornel West also takes 3 percent, and Green Party candidate Jill Stein collects 2 percent.
Half of the participants expressed concurrence with the jury’s guilty verdict, with opinions diverging predominantly along party affiliations, as per The New York Times.
Among Democrats, 96 percent agreed with the verdict, with a mere 1 percent dissenting.
Conversely, Republican respondents showed 10 percent agreement and 86 percent disagreement, while 52 percent of independents concurred and 42 percent dissented.
“In a crucial state that favored Biden in 2020, half the electorate endorses the guilty verdict, marking Trump as the first president convicted of a felony, yet Trump retains a 2024 electoral edge,” stated Tim Malloy, a polling analyst from Quinnipiac University.
Regarding the impact of the guilty verdict on their voting likelihood for Trump, 54 percent reported it made no difference, 22 percent said they were less likely, and 23 percent indicated they were more likely to vote for him.
Reportedly, as for the foremost issue influencing voter decisions, 29 percent cited the economy as their primary concern, followed by 23 percent prioritizing the preservation of democracy and 14 percent focusing on immigration.
Conducted via phone from May 30 to June 3, the poll sampled 1,203 self-identified registered voters in Georgia and has a margin of error of +/- 2.8 percentage points.