Clinton, Trump Tied in Georgia: Poll

After decades as a reliably red state, Georgia may truly be a battleground come November.

A new poll from WSB-TV shows Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump in a statistical tie for the presidency among Peach State voters.

Trump, the Republican nominee, holds a narrow edge over Clinton, the Democrat, in the poll -- 45.5 percent to 44.2 percent.

Libertarian Gary Johnson took just over 5 percent of support in the poll and Green Party nominee Jill Stein came in with 2.5 percent.

The poll, conducted by Landmark/Rosetta Stone, was of 500 likely Georgia voters. It was conducted Sunday -- after the GOP convention in Cleveland but before the Democratic convention in Philadelphia began.

It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percent.

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Georgia has not voted for a Democrat for president since backing Bill Clinton in 1992.

In 2012, Republican nominee Mitt Romney captured about 53 percent of the Georgia vote, compared to 45 percent for President Barack Obama.

But political analysts see several factors that could make Georgia, and its 16 electoral votes, more of a toss-up this time around.

"I have learned that this is the year where anything can happen," said Audrey Haynes, an associate professor of political science at the University of Georgia. "The electorate was less predictable, and that means something."

Haynes noted that the Clinton campaign has identified Georgia as a "Tier 1" state -- which is, a state that has the potential to become a true battleground.

"If they have it listed as a Tier 1 state, then it could be a place where we actually get to see quite a few of the commercials that will be running in states that are competitive," Haynes said. "We may see some candidate visits and more from their surrogates."

In the WSB poll, Trump had the support of roughly two-thirds of white voters, while Clinton had the backing of more than four out of five black voters.

Trump polled better with voters 65 and over, Clinton held a sizable lead among voters age 18-39 and the two roughly split voters from 40-64.

"This would signal to me that the Democratic Party and the Clinton-Kaine campaign organizations will, if they have the resources, put a good deal of money into mobilization efforts (in Georgia) ... ," Haynes said. "If the election is close and loud these people will come out to vote.

"So in the end it will be a war of numbers -- who comes out to be counted."

While Georgia State University political science professor Daniel Franklin sees trends moving toward the Democrats in Georgia, he's not quite ready to call the state a battleground yet.

"It is still a little too soon," said Franklin. "The projections are that Georgia becomes a majority-minority state in 2018 and that was when things were supposed to change."

While Trump's hardline anti-immigration talk has galvanized Hispanics -- Georgia's fastest growing ethnic group -- against him, Franklin doesn't think the numbers are quite there yet.

"However, a good way of telling how a candidate’s campaign is going is to follow where they campaign," he said. "Under normal circumstances, presidential candidates spend most of their time in battleground states. If either one of the candidates does anything more than just fundraising in Georgia, the Republicans are in real trouble. This state shouldn’t be in play."