Former President Donald Trump is leading President Biden in Georgia — even after his guilty “hush money” verdict, a poll released Wednesday found.
The Quinnipiac poll shows Trump besting Biden 49%-44% in a head-to-head battle in the key swing state, less than one week after a New York City jury found the former president found guilty of all 34 counts related to falsifying business records to conceal a payment to former porn star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election.
Biden won Georgia by 0.3% in the 2020 election — a margin that Trump has fiercely disputed.
Donald Trump leads Biden 49%-44% in a head-to-head battle in Georgia, the poll showed. Getty ImagesThe Georgia respondents largely came down along party lines, with 94% of Republicans backing Trump and 93% of Democrats supporting Biden.
Among independents, each 2024 candidate received 45% of the demographic.
But, Trump only expands his lead when the poll includes third-party candidates.
Trump gets 43% compared to Biden’s 37%, while independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr. gets 8%, Libertarian Party candidate Chase Oliver receives 3%, independent Cornel West receives 3%, and Green Party candidate Jill Stein gets 2%.
While 50% of respondents said they agreed with the jury’s guilty verdict, the opinions largely broke along party lines.
Among Democrats, 96% said they agreed with the verdict, while only 1% said they disagreed.
President Biden speaks at a campaign event at Pullman Yards on March 9, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. Getty Images
94% of Georgia Republicans back Trump and 93% of Democrats support Biden. Steven Hirsch/POOL/EPA-EFE/ShutterstockRepublican respondents had 10% agreeing with the verdict and 86% disagreeing, while 52% of independents agreed and 42% disagreed.
“In a key state that went for Biden in 2020, half of voters agree with the guilty verdict that made Trump the first president to be convicted of a felony, but Trump still has the advantage in the 2024 race,” said Quinnipiac University polling analyst Tim Malloy.
When asked if the guilty verdict makes them more or less likely to vote for Trump, 54% said it didn’t make a difference, 22% said less likely and 23% said more likely.
Trump was convicted on 34 felony counts in his “hush money” trial. Justin Lane/Pool via USA TODAY NETWORKAnd for the most important issue, 29% voters rated the economy as their No. 1 priority in deciding who to vote for, followed by 23% of respondents saying preserving democracy and 14% saying immigration.
The poll was conducted via phone between May 30-June 3, had a sample size of 1,203 self-identified Georgia registered voters and had a margin of error of +/- 2.8 percentage points.
