Politics
Politics

A reminder of Trump’s strength at Atlanta conference featuring his rivals

By
Aug 19, 2023

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

Greg Bluestein is the Atlanta Journal Constitution's chief political reporter. He is also an author, TV analyst and co-host of the Politically Georgia podcast.

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