Georgia Republicans support Trump ahead of midterms, new poll finds – USA Today
President Donald Trump‘s approval rating is at a new low as voters across the country prepare for midterm elections.
In the latest Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll, Trump’s approval rating hit 37%, an all-time bottom for the president. His approval varied between other surveys, ranging from 34% to 39%, as of early May.
The Iran war and affordability issues have been particularly damaging to Trump’s approval, as he consistently polls poorly on those issues in recent months.
Primaries in many states have already begun, including in Georgia where early voting is underway for a May 19 election.
Trump’s ideology is on the ballot in the Peach State as multiple candidates for high-powered positions have run on a MAGA message and promised to support the president if elected.
So, what do Georgia Republicans think about President Trump?
According to a poll published May 5 by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, support for the president among Georgia Republicans remains relatively high. The number has declined, however, since last year.
In October 2025, 69% of Republicans said they strongly approved of how President Trump was handling his job. At the end of April, that number was down to 60%.
Another 21% said they somewhat approve of Trump’s time in office in April, up from 16% in October.
The vast majority of Democrats, 92% strongly disapprove of his handling of the presidency, which is up from 90% last October.
When asked whether they believed the country was heading in the right direction, 72% of Republicans said yes, down from 76% who answered yes in October. On the Democratic side, 89% said they believed the country was heading down the wrong track, also a decrease from 91% who said the same last year.
With support for Trump in Georgia high but faltering, voters will have to consider whether the Trump name is actively helping or hurting candidates in this year’s midterms.
In an April special election runoff in Georgia’s 14th congressional district, the Trump-endorsed candidate to replace Marjorie Taylor Greene in the House, Clay Fuller, won the seat by a notably smaller margin than Greene.
His opponent, Democrat Shawn Harris, outperformed both Kamala Harris and Joe Biden in the district, and is continuing to campaign for the general election.
When both candidates were questioned about Trump’s role in the race, they had different takeaways.
“Besides all the people in this room that have made this possible this evening, there’s one person in particular that I really have to stay thankful to,” Fuller said in a speech on election night in Rome, Georgia. “For those of you that were questioning how important President Donald J. Trump is to this country, to Georgia 14th and the state of Georgia, you look at that screen behind me and you see what this man means to the people here in this community, what he means to the people in this country and what he means to the MAGA movement.”
Harris disagreed, and attributed his relative success to Republicans and Independents turning away from Trump as a clear divide spreads in the Republican Party.
“I was right here in this office that day Donald Trump came here, he was less than two miles up the road,” Harris told USA Today in a one-on-one interview on election night. “You could still drive around like a normal day… and that’s when I realized that oh, Donald Trump didn’t realize it, but (the) Marjorie Taylor Greene factor is in effect. As long as they have this major discussion or major divorce (within the party) that’s going on, the Republicans got a problem.”
National approval ratings haven’t slowed down support of the president from Georgia Republican candidates hoping for the top seats in the state.
In the U.S. Senate race, Republicans face off with incumbent Jon Ossoff. The top polling candidates for the primary — Mike Collins and Buddy Carter — have both leaned into the MAGA base in Georgia, hoping to ride the Trump train to a seat in Congress.
Derek Dooley, the Kemp-endorsed candidate, has more closely aligned himself with non-MAGA Republicans, like Kemp has done during his time as governor. He is polling far behind Carter and Collins, and without a major bump in the primary, won’t make the ballot in November.
Devon Cruz, a senior communications advisor for the Democratic Party of Georgia, told USA TODAY after the Senate primary debate that each of the Republicans were pledging “how loyal and obedient they would be to Donald Trump in the U.S. Senate.”
The gubernatorial debate is also likely to become a Democrat versus MAGA race as both top Republican candidates have pledged allegiance to the president.
Lt. Gov. Burt Jones was endorsed by Trump early in the race, and said he would be a warrior and major advocate for the president in the South. Rick Jackson, a healthcare CEO, entered the race much later, but with a major personal funding push has overtaken Jones in recent polls. He also said he supports the president and would maintain MAGA values in Georgia should he be elected governor.
Jackson has been accused of supporting Trump only when it became politically advantageous to do so, as his past political contributions were published showing a $1 million donation to Trump, but also financial support for his competitors in past races. Jones was quick to support Trump in 2016, but has faced criticism for being unable to vocalize any disagreement with the Trump administration.
A debate between the candidates was tense and personal, and their split of the MAGA base is likely to send the primary race to a runoff in June.
November will offer the true test, dependent on the moves of the Trump administration over the next six months — will Republican candidates in Georgia be hurt by the actions of their leader?
Irene Wright covers midterm races in Georgia as the Atlanta Connect reporter with USA Today’s Deep South Connect team. Find her on X @IreneEWright or email her at ismith@usatodayco.com.
