Poll: GOP Sen. Isakson up just 6 points in Georgia

Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) leads his Democratic opponent by just 6 points, according to a new poll released Friday.

Isakson has 48 percent support and Jim Barksdale has 42 percent, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll said.

{mosads}The result will renew fears among Republicans that GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump’s low poll numbers could hurt down-ballot Republicans.

A separate poll released Friday showed Democrat Hillary Clinton 4 points ahead of Trump in Georgia.

The GOP candidate has won the state in seven of the last eight presidential elections.

Isakson, who is seeking his third term in the Senate, won his previous two general elections by 18 and 19 percentage points.

Barksdale is an Atlanta investment manager and a political newcomer self-funding much of his upstart bid.

“I’m proud of my record of service to Georgia, and being ahead in any poll is humbling,” Isakson said in a statement Friday.

“Our campaign is taking nothing for granted and will be working for every vote until polls close on Election Day,” added Isakson, who has endorsed Trump.

Barksdale’s campaign said Friday’s results show Georgia’s voters are hungry for change in their lawmakers.

“Multiple polls this week show that Georgia’s U.S. Senate race is at single digits, and it’s because of the appeal of Jim Barksdale’s outsider candidacy,” said campaign manager David Hoffman.

“Voters want somebody to stand up to Washington, somebody with the know-how to address the many failures of Congress.”

Several Georgia Democrats have crossed party lines to aid Isakson. Rep. David Scott (D-Ga.) endorsed Isakson on Thursday, and former Gov. Roy Barnes and former Sen. Sam Nunn have quietly donated to Isakson’s campaign, according to the Journal-Constitution. 

The newspaper conducted its latest sampling of 847 registered voters in Georgia via interviews from Aug. 1 to 4. It has a 4.29 percentage point margin of error.