Atlanta voters reveal which issue could decide their vote: abortion access or the economy?
A year after they were last asked on the ballot, Georgia voters say two important issues are still on their minds.
In an election year in which the economy has been increasingly important for voters, candidates and issues have come down to abortion and taxes, according to an exit poll released Sunday night by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
In the survey of 500 registered voters, nearly 70 percent cited the economy as the most important issue — in contrast with only about 35 percent who cited abortion as their top concern.
“The economy is obviously important, especially for women in particular,” Rebecca Shabad, CEO of Planned Parenthood Southeast, said at a news conference on her organization’s behalf.
But the survey also indicates that candidates and issues were different as voters decided to vote for candidates for Senate, governor and the US House, with many choosing either of them or neither.
Here’s how the state’s biggest issue has fared in the race for governor.
Abortion is the top issue for Republicans as they seek a path to victory to replace Gov. Nathan Deal:
On abortion, the economy will become more important if the GOP emerges victorious in the Nov. 6 general election. Here’s how the two issues could affect Georgia’s race for governor.
Abortion in the past
Abortion has been a major issue in Georgia’s gubernatorial races, including the year Governor Deal was re-elected.
In January 2014, voters in Georgia chose to legalize abortion after taking a tough stance on the subject. In the race to succeed Deal, the Republican incumbent, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, had won the Democratic nomination. But Cagle had refused to debate Republican challenger Stacey Abrams, who went on to win a special election.
Abrams, now a Democrat running for governor, criticized Cagle’s stance on abortion, saying, “Every day, Georgia’s children are aborted, and his campaign is complicit in that.”
Abrams’ position on abortion was consistent throughout her campaign, and when she decided to challenge Deal in the Republican primary, her campaign raised money from both sides of the issue.
Abrams would go on to win the party’s nomination and the election, but a special election was held to fill out the term of the former governor’s final term,