Georgia Senator Kelly Loeffler Trails Rep. Collins by over 40 Points among GOP Voters in Special Election Poll
An internal Republican poll shows Senator Kelly Loeffler down 44 points to Representative Doug Collins in the race to fill former Georgia Senator Johnny Isakson’s seat in a November special election.
The poll, obtained by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, found that 29 percent of the Georgia voters polled April 25-27 favored Collins, while Loeffler trailed with 11 percent. Among Republicans, the gap widened to a 62-18 margin for Collins. The findings aligned with an internal poll that the Collins campaign conducted earlier this month, which found Collins held a 36-point lead over Loeffler in the race.
The special election in November has no primaries and will include multiple candidates from both parties on the same ballot, with a potential runoff election set for January if no candidate wins a majority. The winner will see out the remainder of Isakson’s term.
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, a Republican, appointed Loeffler to Isakson’s seat in December after the former senator stepped down due to recurring health issues. Kemp’s decision came despite President Trump reportedly pushing for the appointment of Collins, a staunch supporter of the president. Collins then entered the race in January, drawing criticism from the National Republican Senate Committee for a “stunning” display of “shortsightedness.”
But Loeffler has drawn scrutiny for stock sell-offs she and her husband — the head of the New York Stock Exchange — made ahead of the coronavirus market crash, resulting in allegations of insider trading. While Loeffler said this month that she would liquidate her stock holdings, Collins has slammed the former businesswoman for “profiting” from the pandemic.
