A new Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll has found that former mayor Kasim Reed and city council President Felicia Moore are neck and neck in the upcoming mayoral election. The poll found 23.5% of voters supported Reed and 20.4% supported Moore. Reed’s lead falls within the poll’s 3.4% margin of error. 41% of likely voters polled remained undecided at the time of the poll, which was conducted between August 30 and September 11.
None of the other leading candidates, Antonio Brown, Andre Dickens and Sharon Gay, received more than 6%. If no one candidate receives a simple majority, the race will go to a runoff.
61% of those polled reported being “less likely” to support Reed’s re-election to mayor due to a federal probe of several members of his previous administration. Reed’s personal attorneys said that investigators have told Reed that he is no longer under investigation, in spite of the indictment of multiple members of his previous administration. 34% of those polled held a favorable opinion of Reed while 44% reported holding an unfavorable opinion.
One position that does have a simple majority: 53% of those polled believe that Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has taken the city down the “wrong track.” This position is most prominent among Republicans (84%) and independents (62%).
The poll was conducted by the University of Georgia’s School of Public and International Affairs and included 842 registered voters.