Presidential race in Georgia tight

A new poll shows Republican presidential candidate John McCain with only a 44 to 43 percent lead over presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama here in Georgia. Libertarian candidate Bob Barr draws 6 percent. Those numbers come from Atlanta-based Insider Advantage. Obama’s campaign announced it will start running a new 60-second TV ad in Georgia and 17 other states today.

Georgia said to be potential battleground state for Presidential election

Georgia has been mentioned as a possible Presidential battle ground state, despite new polling numbers released today which show the presumptive GOP nominee John McCain well ahead of his Democratic challenger.

This is the first Georgia presidential poll since Senator Barack Obama locked up the nomination earlier this month.

The poll was conducted by polling firm Rasmussen, and shows Obama trailing McCain by ten percent. Polls conducted back in February show a similar lead for the former Arizona Senator.

During the February 5th primary, more Democrats turned out to the polls, leading some strategists to think Georgia could be up for grabs.

Fundraising has been strong in Georgia for Obama, and he has far outraised McCain.

Yet the poll shows McCain is doing well among seniors and military veterans, two key swing groups in Georgia.

The Presidential election will be held in 145 days.

Coastal Georgians less worried about hurricanes

Coastal Southerners are getting complacent about the dangers of hurricanes, according to a new poll. The survey by a Harvard University professor found that one in three southeasterners who live within 20 miles of the coast – including Georgia -- would not leave their home if a storm came through. That’s up from one in only four last year. Reasons people gave for not leaving included that they think their homes are safe, the roads would be too crowded, and it would be dangerous to leave. The poll found 78% felt prepared if a major hurricane struck their community in the next six months. 31% said they would not evacuate. 5% said their decision would depend on the circumstances.

New poll shows support for school vouchers

A small coalition that assembled at the State Capitol cited a new poll conducted by the conservative firm Strategic Vision. The poll found 60 percent of respondents like school choice and vouchers for all children.

“We do feel that academic justice is important for not just disabled students, but also minorities and low-income students,” said Jamie Self of the Georgia Family Council.

Sen. Eric Johnson (R-Savannah) is sponsoring a bill that would create state vouchers only for special-needs students. There’s not enough support for a broader voucher measure “because there are a lot of parts of this state, rural areas, that don’t have a private-school network,” Johnson says. “Then, there are good public school systems like Gwinnett or Cobb, where they see vouchers as threatening what they have.”

Johnson’s bill, SB 10, already passed the Senate but time is running out in the House. The House Education Committee is expected to vote on the bill this week.