Below The Beltway

It looks like Bob Barr’s candidacy might put Georgia’s 15 Electoral Votes in play: 

May 20, 2008 — An InsiderAdvantage/Majority Opinion survey of 652 likely voters shows that a Libertarian candidacy by former Republican Congressman Bob Barr could create a free-for-all in Georgia next November.

The telephone survey of registered voters who said they were likely to vote in the November election was conducted May 19. It was weighted for age, race, gender, and political affiliation. It has a margin of error of 3.6%.

The results to the question, “If the election were held today who would you vote for President of the United States which candidate would you vote for?”

John McCain, Republican: 45%

Barack Obama, Democrat: 35%

Bob Barr, Libertarian: 8%

Undecided: 12%

InsiderAdvantage’s Matt Towery: “John McCain has already acknowledged publicly that Georgia is not a guarantee for a Republican nominee. A Barr candidacy will make Georgia a centerpiece in the November race, given the fact that most other Southern states appear to be less competitive for Barack Obama. With Florida also leaning towards McCain at present, I would be shocked if the Obama camp doesn’t key in on Georgia as possible upset possibility.”

He continues “Barr is likely doing a bit better in Georgia because of his years in the political arena in the state. He has remained actively available on national talk shows and until recently wrote columns for publications (including, by disclosure not only the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, but for a monthly magazine owned by the parent company of InsiderAdvantage Polling). My guess is that his numbers are not as high around the rest of the country due to a lack of sustained name identification.”

Yes, but when the margin between McCain and Obama is only 10 percentage points, it doesn’t take much for the state, and possibly the entire election, to be flipped upside down.

H/T: Jason Pye