Democrat Jon Ossoff has a 7-percentage-point lead over Republican Karen Handel in the high-profile runoff race for Georgia’s empty congressional seat, according to a survey released Friday.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll found Mr. Ossoff, a former congressional aide and documentary filmmaker, leads Mrs. Handel, a former secretary of state, by a 51 percent to 44 percent margin less than two weeks out from the election in Georgia’s 6th Congressional District.
The survey, which was conducted by Abt Associates from June 5 to 8, and involved 1,000 registered voters, follows a pair of debates this week. It has a margin of error of 4 percentage points.
The poll showed Mr. Ossoff has a 26-percentage-point lead among women and has the support of half of independent voters, a well as more than 10 percent of Republicans. The newspaper said Mrs. Handel has a small lead among older voters, while Mr. Ossoff has a big advantage among young voters.
In the April primary, Mr. Ossoff fell just short of collecting the 50 percent off the vote he needed to avoid a runoff race. Mr. Ossoff received 48.1 percent compared to 19.8 percent for Mrs. Handel, who emerged as the top Republican in a crowded field.
Republicans have held the seat in the Atlanta suburbs since former House Speaker Newt Gingrich took it over in 1979. Rep. Tom Price won re-election by over 20 percentage points in the 2016 election and then vacated the seat to become President Trump’s health secretary.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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