Poll Shows Clinton Leading Trump In Georgia

New polling indicates that Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton could win Georgia. The Peach State has not swung blue in over two decades.

On Oct. 19, a new Washington Post/SurveyMonkey poll found that Clinton leads a four-way race in Georgia with 45 percent support. GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump comes in second with 41 percent support, while Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson arrives in third with 9 percent support. Green Party candidate Jill Stein comes in at just 2 percent.

The survey’s findings go against previously released state polls. Aggregating the last four state polls released between Sept. 18 and Oct. 12, Real Clear Politics found that Trump has lead Georgia by 5.3 percentage points.

Associate professor of political science Andra Gillespie of Emory University is skeptical that Clinton can turn Georgia blue but views the new poll as the possible start of a shift for the Peach State.

“I think we just need to wait for the next few weeks to see how things shake out and continue to follow the trends,” Gillespie told WSB.

Georgia voters have not sided with a Democratic nominee since 1992, when they helped elect former Democratic Gov. Bill Clinton of Arkansas to the presidency.

The Peach State has been a reliably red state for decades. GOP nominee Mitt Romney won the state by 8 percentage points in 2012. Former President George W. Bush won there by a margin of roughly 17 percentage points in 2004, according to 270ToWin.

“Even if Donald Trump wins Georgia, he’s going to win by a narrower margin than we expect Republican candidates to win,” Gillespie said.

The professor concluded that Clinton would only win the Peach State if Nov. 8 proves to be a landslide victory for her nationwide.

Another reliably Republican state that Clinton could turn blue is Arizona. On Oct. 19, an Arizona Republic/Morrison/Cronkite News poll found that the Democratic nominee leads the state by 5 percentage points. In a four-way race, Clinton garnered 39 percent support while Trump came in second with 34 percent support, Politico reports.

Only one Democratic nominee has won Arizona in the last 16 election cycles, for the better half of a century. The latest survey found that 21 percent of Arizona voters are still undecided, which can make the Copper State one of the most competitive in the remaining weeks until the election.

The Washington Post/SurveyMonkey poll also found that the race in Texas is surprisingly competitive. Trump leads the reliably red state with 44 percent, but Clinton is hot on his heels with 42 percent support.

Sources: Politico, Real Clear Politics, 270ToWin, WSB / Photo credit: Gage Skidmore/Flickr