Former Georgia Governor Nathan Deal endorsed Attorney General Chris Carr for governor during a Gainesville campaign stop this week, 20 days ahead of the May 19 Republican primary. Deal called Carr competent and capable of being a very good governor, handing the trailing candidate a boost from a Northeast Georgia heavyweight. The move targets a region where Deal won 79% of the vote in his own 2010 primary runoff.
Carr Targets Deal's Hall County Stronghold
Chris Carr stopped in Gainesville on Wednesday as part of a Northeast Georgia swing that included Dahlonega, Dawsonville, and Jefferson. The visits zero in on Hall County and surrounding areas, home turf for Nathan Deal, a Gainesville native who governed from 2011 to 2019. Deal delivered his endorsement there, telling supporters, "I want to assure you of several things. One is, Chris Carr is competent. He is capable of being a very good governor." He added, "Most importantly of all, he’s a good man. A good person. Good people make good decisions." AccessWDUN reported the event.
Carr responded in a statement: "I’m grateful to have earned the support of my friend and mentor, Governor Nathan Deal, one of Georgia’s greatest Governors." He praised Deal's steady, conservative leadership. Deal appointed Carr as attorney general in 2016. Voters elected Carr in 2018 and 2022. Ballotpedia tracks his record.
Latest Poll Shows Carr Stuck at 6%
Carr trails badly in the eight-candidate Republican field. An InsiderAdvantage poll of 800 likely GOP primary voters from April 22-23 put healthcare executive Rick Jackson at 32%, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones at 25%, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger at 11%, and Carr at 6%. Undecided voters made up 23%. The margin of error stood at 3.46%.
| Candidate | Support |
|---|---|
| Rick Jackson | 32% |
| Burt Jones | 25% |
| Brad Raffensperger | 11% |
| Chris Carr | 6% |
| Other | 3% |
| Undecided | 23% |
InsiderAdvantage released the results, noting Raffensperger and Carr split metro Atlanta voters wary of President Trump. Earlier polls showed similar patterns. A March Emerson survey had Jones at 21%, Jackson at 20%, Raffensperger at 11%, Carr at 6%. Carr dismissed recent numbers during a Savannah visit, calling polling a disaster and predicting he reaches the runoff.
