Politics & Government

Beaudreau Beats Balfour in Survey

Former Gwinnett County Commissioner Mike Beaudreau leads a survey of likely contenders in the Republican primary for the seat currently held by Don Balfour. Former State Rep. Clay Cox of Lilburn finished three points behind Balfour.

Voters will not head to the polls for several months, but a new survey shows most likely Republican Primary voters would not cast their ballot for State Senator Don Balfour.

Rosetta Stone Communications recently released results of a new survey where they asked 618 Gwinnett County voters who they would vote for in the Georgia State Senate District 9 primary election. The survey was conducted on the evening of Jan. 9.

Here are the results:

  • Mike Beaudreau – 19%
  • Don Balfour – 14%
  • Clay Cox – 11% 
  • P.K. Martin – 10%
  • Undecided/No Opinion – 46%
Only former Lawrenceville City Councilmember P.K. Martin has officially announced he is running for the seat currently held by Balfour. Former Gwinnett County Commissioner Mike Beaudreau of Lawrenceville lost his re-election bid by 56 votes to Tommy Hunter. Clay Cox of Lilburn is a former Georgia State Representative. Cox vacated his seat representing District 102 in an unsuccessful bid for U.S. Congress.

The survey also asked primary voters how they view Balfour following his acquittal on corruption charges. The voters viewed him unfavorably by a margin of 27% to 39%. 

Just 17% of those surveyed feel Balfour deserves a second chance, while more than half, 52%, would "prefer someone else."

”Senator Don Balfour’s basic reelect number is the lowest I have ever seen for an incumbent," said John Garst, President of Atlanta based Rosetta Stone Communications in a release. "It appears that even in the wake of Balfour’s acquittal, voters in his own district have serious questions about him.”

The survey has a margin of error of +/- 3%.

--What do you think about the results of the survey? Tell us in the comments section below.

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