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New poll shows dead heat in Georgia Governor's race

In the Governor's race, the poll shows Republican Brian Kemp at 43 percent, and Democrat Stacey Abrams also at 43 percent. 14 percent of likely voters say they haven't decided between the two.

ATLANTA -- A new poll shows the two candidates for Georgia governor tied with a surprisingly large number still undecided between the Democrat and Republican. The poll by NBC News and Survey Monkey interviewed nearly 2000 registered voters over two weeks.

In the Governor’s race, the poll shows Republican Brian Kemp at 43 percent, and Democrat Stacey Abrams also at 43 percent. 14 percent of likely voters say they haven’t decided between the two.

A Democrat last won a Georgia governor race 20 years ago.

"This race is going to be close. And there’s a lot of Democratic enthusiasm and Abrams has been able to capitalize on that," said Dr. Andra Gillespie, political science professor at Emory University.

NBC News | Survey Monkey poll: Kemp, Abrams in close race with many Georgia voters split

The poll showed 32 percent of likely Georgia voters said their top state issue is “jobs and the economy,” which figures strongly in Kemp’s message. Twenty three percent said healthcare, which figures in Abrams’ message.

The poll asked “if a candidate wanted to expand Medicaid in your state, would that make you more (or less) likely to vote for that candidate?"

In the poll, 43 percent said more likely, 25 percent less likely, and 31 percent said it wouldn’t make much of a difference. Abrams has made Medicaid expansion a cornerstone of her campaign. Kemp has emphatically opposed expansion.

Georgia Election Cycle 2018 | Key dates to know

Another eye-opener came when the pollster asked about President Donald Trump.

In the poll, 45 percent said they strongly disapprove of how Trump is handling his job. Another 9 said they somewhat disapprove while 30 percent strongly approve of Trump’s performance. Another 14 said they somewhat approve. Trump carried Georgia by about 5 points in 2016.

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