A new statewide survey of likely Republican primary voters in Georgia places U.S. Rep. Mike Collins in the early lead of the Republican U.S. Senate primary, with numerous economic issues continuing to be top of mind with voters. The poll found that Georgia voters are willing to reward a candidate who supports issues that drive the economy forward, such as data centers that create jobs, and federal preemption policies on AI and ingredient transparency.
Currently, Collins is ahead on the primary ballot with 32% support, ahead of Buddy Carter at 16% and Derek Dooley at 12%, with 29% undecided. Name recognition advantages further help Collins’ position, with 71% of respondents having heard of him, with a 41% favorable to 9% unfavorable image.
On issues, GOP primary voters are anchored to the economy. When asked to choose the most important issue position when deciding whom to support, respondents cite taxes and government spending (20%), inflation and cost of living (19%), and the economy and jobs (18%), underscoring the economic emphasis with this voting bloc.
Given the intense focus Georgians have on the economy, it follows that 54% of GOP voters see an upside to data center development in Georgia to drive job growth and further expand tax revenue.
Another economic driver that Georgia voters favored is the implementation of national commonsense standards for AI and ingredient transparency, to protect consumers and continue driving costs down for families. A clear path to victory is possible for a candidate who stands with President Trump to back national standards for these issues in the Senate.
Nearly eight in ten voters would be more likely to support a candidate who backs a federal AI standard that includes “protections for minors, age verification for chat-bot access, parental controls, and bans on non‑consensual AI‑generated sexual imagery.” And a majority (56%) would also be more likely to support a candidate who encourages a federal ingredient transparency standard, including “stronger reviews of new ingredients and clearer product labeling.”
The consensus is that Georgia’s GOP primary electorate is optimistic about the state’s direction and is ultimately poised to reward candidates who keep the economy front and center in their legislative agenda, including: more jobs, continued tech‑driven growth such as data centers, and straightforward national standards on AI and ingredient transparency. With nearly a third of voters undecided, the coalition most likely to grow is the one that homes in on the issues voters care about.
Georgia’s Senate primary will take place on May 19, 2026.
Methodology: Statewide survey of N=600 likely Republican primary voters in Georgia, conducted January 13–15, 2026, via live and text‑to‑web interviews. Margin of error ±4.0%.
