DCCC Poll Has Marshall With Substantial Lead

July 13, 2006

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A new Democratic poll in the 8th district race between Rep. Jim Marshall (D) and former Rep. Mac Collins (R) showed the incumbent with a wide lead.

Marshall led Collins 58 percent to 32 percent in the Hamilton, Beattie and Staff survey done for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

The committee chose only to release the head-to-head ballot test as well as Marshall’s favorability rating, which was 50 percent favorable and 7 percent unfavorable.

“Voters in both the old and new parts of the district see that Jim Marshall has been doing a heck of a job for them,” said Marshall campaign spokesman Doug Moore said in response to the poll.

The survey of 400 likely voters was taken July 8-10 and had a 5 percent margin of error.

Republicans are targeting Marshall, who recently was inducted into the Army Ranger Hall of Fame, and believe he is more vulnerable due to the fact that his district was recently redrawn and made more favorable to the GOP.

National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Carl Forti noted that Marshall’s favorability rating indicates that more than 40 percent of those surveyed were not familiar enough with the Congressman to form an opinion of him.

“We will make sure that come October voter of Georgia’s 8th district know who the real Jim Marshall is,” Forti said.

As of June 28, Marshall had $1.2 million million in his campaign account, while Collins had $793,000.
— Lauren W. Whittington