The Gathering is a bastion for conservatives seeking a Donald Trump alternative.

Six of his rivals addressed the conference to cheers from hundreds of conservatives and Erick Erickson, the Atlanta event’s organizer, said he hoped not to utter the former president’s name throughout the weekend.

Which helps explain the hush over the room as Brent Buchanan, a pollster with Cygnal, presented a poll of likely Georgia GOP voters commissioned by Gov. Brian Kemp’s PAC.

It showed Trump leading the primary field with 53% of the vote, followed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (15%), business executive Vivek Ramaswamy (6%) and former Vice President Mike Pence (5%). Others polled within the margin of error.

- Live updates: Latest from The Gathering

About the Author

Keep Reading

State Election Board Vice Chair Janice Johnston speaks during an election board meeting at the Capitol in Atlanta on Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. (Arvin Temkar / AJC)

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Featured

Waymo autonomous vehicles operate across 65 square miles inside I-285 and have been involved in six incidents with Atlanta Public School buses since May. Waymo issued a recall because of their cars briefly stopping or slowing down before continuing forward while a bus was stopped and flashing its lights. (Courtesy of Atlanta Public Schools)

Credit: Courtesy of Atlanta Public Schools