Georgia Republican voters are still all-in for Trump

That’s because success in the Republican primary can hinge on voters like Neil Wein, a recently retired 58-year-old from Hall County who proudly calls himself a “poster child” for Trump’s MAGA agenda.

“Have you seen all he’s done since he got in office? He’s better than the Energizer Bunny,” he said. “The Big Beautiful Bill, the tax reductions — no tax on tips, no tax on Social Security — I think he’s the greatest thing since sliced bread.”

For Wein, a candidate’s vocal support of the president’s platform is the deciding factor when he casts his vote.

“It absolutely makes a huge difference, because the only way you’re going to get stuff done is to have a group of like-minded people,” he said. “The left is just too much of an obstacle.”

Wein is part of the 81% of likely Republican voters across Georgia in the AJC poll who agree with Trump’s actions in office and part of the 72% who think the nation is generally headed in the right direction.

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

GOP voters strongly approve of how the administration has handled issues like the economy and its crackdown on immigration. In fact, Wein believes Trump’s immigration efforts need to go even further.

“I think we need to stop going after just the worst,” he said. “I think we need to go after all of them.”

Around 85% of Republican primary voters polled fully endorse Trump’s use of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency while only around 14% disapprove.

It’s evidence of Trump’s powerful hold on Georgia’s election outcomes this midterm cycle despite his absence from the ballot. Top Republicans are competing over who can best champion his MAGA movement, and candidates with his support loudly tout his endorsement.

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Lt. Gov. Burt Jones took a political gamble six years ago when he served as one of 16 Republican electors who aided in Trump’s efforts to overturn Georgia’s 2020 elections. Jones now is using that long history of loyalty to the president in hopes of pushing himself ahead of billionaire rival Rick Jackson in the primary.

“The biggest reason why President Trump is endorsing my candidacy for governor is because he knows me,” Jones said on stage at the Atlanta Press Club debate. “We’ve got over a 10-year history together, and he knows me to be somebody who does what he says he’s going to do and delivers on it.”

Former Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger represents the flip side of that coin and is working to avoid answering questions about his certification of Joe Biden’s 2020 victory in Georgia despite pressure from Trump and other Republicans.

Credit: Jason Getz/AJC

Credit: Jason Getz/AJC

Candidates who claim victory in the crowded primaries or possible runoff elections may have to shift their all-in MAGA strategy to be successful against their statewide Democrat opponents.

While support for Trump was very high, there appears to be a slight decline in support among GOP primary voters over the last several months. Compared with an AJC poll conducted in October, Trump’s approval rating has fallen by 3 percentage points and approval from the general direction of the country has dropped by 4 points.

Athens-Clarke County resident Evan Elder, 44, is a longtime Republican and remembers voting for George W. Bush when he first turned 18 and then again for his reelection. But the “divisiveness” of the party pushed him recently to vote Democrat in the presidential elections.

“I’m just not a Trump fan,” he said and added that who the candidate is, rather than the party they belong to, ultimately impacts his decision. “I am more a positions-and-policies person — I’m never just red-checking because it’s a Republican.”

Elder cited the impact the Iran war is having on gas prices, as well as sky-high home prices in Athens adding to issues like homelessness.

“We can all see it right? The numbers don’t lie,” Elder said. “Costs are still up and there are still conflicts going on which the current administration said it was going to end.”

With such narrow margins in Georgia, voters like Elder could be key to a statewide victory in November.