New FOX 5 Poll: Cagle, Abrams leading in Georgia primaries for governor

ATLANTA - An exclusive poll conducted for FOX 5 Atlanta shows Lt. Governor Casey Cagle leading the race for the Republican nomination for Governor and former State Representative Stacey Abrams with a big lead for the Democratic nomination.

Opinion Savvy conducted the poll for FOX 5 Atlanta of likely voters in the Georgia Republican and Democratic primaries.

In the Republican race, Cagle has a big lead with 30.5 percent of the likely voters.

Secretary of State Brian Kemp is in second, with 19.5 percent.

Next in the poll is State Senator Hunter Hill with 14.3 percent, followed by businessman Clay Tippins at 11.6 percent, and State Senator Michael Williams at 5.1 percent.

Other candidates combined to get 4.4 percent, and 14.6 percent of the likely voters surveyed are undecided.

If no candidate gets a majority of the vote, the top two vote-getters will face off in a July 24 runoff for the Republic nomination.

Georgia's Republican primary for governor has shaped up as a contest over who's toughest on illegal immigration, with campaigns featuring a "deportation bus" and tough talk about "criminal illegal aliens."

The poll of 515 likely Republican voters was conducted on May 15 and 16 and has a margin of error of 4.3 percent.

 On the Democratic side, Abrams has a large lead over former State Representative Stacey Evans.

Abrams has 58.2 percent of the likely Democratic voters surveyed, with Evans at 19 percent. Nearly 23 percent of the Democrats surveyed were undecided.

The poll of 522 likely Democratic voters was conducted on May 15  and 16 and has a margin of error of 4.3percent.

The two Democratic gubernatorial hopefuls squared off this week in a heated debate as they make their final appeals to voters.

Evans and former House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams took each other to task Tuesday over their respective legislative records.

Evans continued to press Abrams over her record on HOPE scholarships, an issue that has been a centerpiece of Evans' campaign. She accused Abrams of helping make cuts to the program.

Abrams went after Evans for her legislative record on public education, saying she supported "voucher" programs that provide scholarships for private school tuition.

The two candidates largely agreed on policy aims around gun control and expanding transit.

The two nominees will face off in the November 6th general election to succeed two-term Governor Nathan Deal.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.