New poll shows 3-way tie in Georgia

A new poll released Tuesday shows that the Republican presidential primary race in Georgia is a three-way tie. The new poll by the Fox Five and the Southern Political Report shows Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney, and Rick Santorum running neck-in-neck among registered likely Georgia voters.

Newt Gingrich placed first in the poll with 26 percent, but Romney and Santorum are both within the margin of error. Romney was in second place with 24 percent and Santorum placed third with 23 percent. Ron Paul was a distant fourth place with 12 percent. Earlier this month, the Atlanta Elections Examiner predicted that the Georgia presidential primary would be too close to call.

The results come amid a Santorum surge since the first weeks of the year. Real Clear Politics shows that Santorum leads in all recent national polls by margins from two to 12 percent. Romney places second in each poll, while Gingrich has dropped to a distant third, just ahead of Ron Paul.

One interesting aspect of the Georgia poll is that 11 percent of voters are still undecided or have no preference. This year’s fluid race has left an inordinate number of voters open to changing their minds or waiting until the last minute to decide. It remains to be seen who the majority of these voters will ultimately favor.

The Georgia primary election is on March 6, but early voting has already opened. Polls will be open statewide this Saturday. Voters can also check their My Voter Page or the Secretary of State website for more information.