AJC poll: Georgia voters say politics played ‘big role’ in Trump indictment
ATLANTA — A majority of Georgia voters believe politics played a role in Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ indictment of former President Donald Trump, a new Atlanta Journal-Constitution survey found.
But an even larger share of voters said, all things being equal, they would not vote for a candidate who has been convicted of a felony by a jury — a very real prospect as Trump confronts charges in criminal cases in Georgia and beyond.
About 69% of respondents said the charges against Trump are very serious or somewhat serious. About 68% said Trump was wrong to ask Georgia officials to change the outcome of the 2020 election.
Those are some of the key findings of an AJC survey of more than 1,000 likely general election voters in Georgia released this week.
The telephone survey was conducted Oct. 26 to Nov. 3 by the University of Georgia’s School of Public and International Affairs Survey Research Center. It has a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points.
The results offer a snapshot of voters’ thoughts after Willis indicted Trump and 18 others on allegations of playing a part in a “criminal enterprise” to overturn Democrat Joe Biden’s 2020 victory in Georgia.
Willis’ investigation has come under fire from Republican elected officials in Georgia and Washington who say the charges against Trump are politically motivated. Some Georgia Republicans referred her for possible disciplinary action before a new oversight commission, though that complaint appears to be going nowhere for now.
The DA has denied that politics played a role in her decision to charge Trump. But the accusation resonates with many Georgia voters.
The AJC survey found about 59% of likely voters believe politics played a “big role” in Trump’s Georgia indictment. An additional 19% said politics played “some role.”
“At this point it ... seems political,” South Fulton resident Zina Mulbah said. “While we have a legal system that should help us live as ethical, moral beings, we still could use it as a weapon against someone we don’t like. There needs to be equal justice across the board.”
Not surprisingly, there was a big partisan split on the role of politics in the indictment. More than 9 in 10 Republicans said politics played a big role — a finding that echoed an AJC survey of Republican voters released in August. In the latest survey, just 29% of Democrats agreed politics played a big role.
Partisans also disagreed on the seriousness of the charges against Trump. About 88% of Democrats said the charges are “very serious,” while just 17% of Republicans agreed. Overall, a slim majority — 52% — of Georgia voters said the charges are very serious.
Fayette County resident Dwight Hooper said the Trump indictment was “absolutely fair.” He cited the January 2021 phone call in which Trump asked Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find” the 11,780 votes he needed to defeat Biden. And he can’t understand how people can excuse Trump’s actions.
“I’m not a lawyer at all, but you know that’s wrong,” Hooper said. “To kind of let that go, I don’t get it.”
Biden’s victory over Trump was confirmed by two recounts, including a hand count of ballots cast. Nonetheless, Trump falsely claimed the election was rife with fraud and repeatedly pressured Georgia officials to overturn the result.
That effort ultimately led Willis to charge Trump and others in a 41-count indictment. Since then, four defendants have pleaded guilty and agreed to testify in future proceedings.