Gov. Brian Kemp (R) holds a 6-point lead over Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) in a hypothetical match-up for the 2026 Georgia Senate race, according to an internal poll released Thursday by the conservative Club for Growth.
The poll, conducted by WPA Intelligence, found 46 percent of respondents chose Kemp and 40 percent chose Ossoff when asked whom respondents would choose if the Senate race were held today. Another 14 percent said they were undecided.
Interestingly, the race appeared to narrow when respondents were asked more generally if they would vote for the Republican candidate or the Democratic candidate in the Georgia Senate race, with 38 percent saying the GOP contender and 35 percent saying the Democrat. However, both responses fell within the poll’s 4.4 point margin of error.
The polling also suggested that Kemp was the only candidate surveyed who could beat Ossoff in the race.
When respondents were asked about a hypothetical match-up between Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.) and Ossoff, the Democrat received 45 percent support while Carter received 32 percent.
Another match-up, between Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.) and Ossoff, found Ossoff at 44 percent while Collins received 34 percent.
The polling showed Ossoff holding a 16-percentage point lead over a potential match-up between him and Georgia Insurance Commissioner John King (R), a 14-percentage point lead over a potential match-up with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensberger (R) and an 11-point led over Rep. Rich McCormick (R-Ga.).
Ossoff is vying for a second term in the upper chamber after defeating former Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.) during the 2020 cycle, seen as a major upset, and helping deliver for Democrats a Senate majority along with Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.).
So far, no Republican has officially launched a campaign against Ossoff yet as Republicans wait to see what Kemp does. A source familiar previously told The Hill an announcement wasn’t imminent.
Several members of the party, however, have had their names floated or expressed interest in the position, including Carter, King and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.).
The Club for Growth poll conducted by WPA Intelligence surveyed respondents Jan. 14-15 with 500 likely voters sampled. The margin of error is plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.
