Former Governor Roy Barnes is far and away the leader in an early look at Georgia’s 2010 Democratic gubernatorial primary race.

A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in Georgia shows Barnes capturing 48% among likely Democratic Primary voters. State Attorney General Thurbert Baker is a distant second with eight percent (8%) of the vote, followed by House Minority Leader Dubose Porter at five percent (5%).

David Poythress, a former secretary of state in Georgia and unsuccessful candidate for governor in 1998, ties with Carl Camon, the mayor of Ray City, at two percent (2%) each.

Five percent (5%) prefer some other candidate, and 31% are undecided at this point.

Baker was the leader in terms of favorability among potential Democratic candidates in a survey of Georgia voters in April, but Barnes wasn’t in the mix at the time.

In the April survey, John Oxendine, Georgia’s Republican fire and insurance commissioner, was the overall favorite. Oxendine holds a commanding lead over all other Republican gubernatorial hopefuls at this stage of the race for Georgia’s 2010 state GOP Primary.

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Barnes, who served one term as governor before beating defeated by the GOP’s Sonny Perdue in 2002, is viewed favorably by 64% of those likely to vote in the Democratic Primary. Twelve percent (12%) have an unfavorable opinion of Barnes, and 24% aren’t sure what they think of him.

Forty-five percent (45%) view Baker favorably, while 17% have an unfavorable view of him. But as with all the candidates at this early stage of the race, a substantial number of voters – 38% - don’t know enough about Baker to have an opinion of him.

Twenty-five percent (25%) have a favorable opinion of Porter, but 15% see him unfavorably, with 60% venturing no opinion.

For Poythress, favorables are 22% and unfavorables are the same (22%). But 56% don’t know what they think of his candidacy.

Camon is the least known in the race, with 65% not sure what they think of him. Nineteen percent (19%) have a favorable view of Camon, while 16% have an unfavorable opinion of him.

Perdue is limited by law from running for releection. Fifty-nine percent (59%) of all Georgia voters approve of Perdue’s job performance with 16% who strongly approve. Thirty-nine percent (39%) disapprove, including 14% who strongly disapprove. These numbers are largely unchanged from April.

Also in the April survey, 45% of Georgia voters said the state’s next governor will be a Republican, while 38% predicted a Democrat will win.

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