Georgia Republicans More Likely To Approve Of Paula Deen Than Martin Luther King

A new Public Policy Polling survey finds that Republicans in Georgia are more likely to support Paula Deen than Martin Luther King.

Georgia-native Deen's favorability numbers have taken a hit following the recent scandal pertaining to her use of racial slurs.

A mere 54% of Georgians have a favorable opinion of Deen. But among Republicans, 73% approve.

Compare that with a mere 59% of Georgia Republicans who have a favorable opinion of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

PPP, a Democratic-aligned polling firm, found that 40% of Democrats viewed Deen favorably. 83% looked well on MLK.

The primary finding of the poll is that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would be competitive with every polled potential GOP rival in hypothetical presidential election matchups in 2016. Georgia has not voted for a Democratic presidential candidate since 1992.

Clinton polls ahead of Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.), former Speaker Newt Gingrich (Ga.), and Rep. Paul Ryan (Wis.), even with former Gov. Jeb Bush (Fla.), just behind Gov. Chris Christie (N.J.), and 12 points ahead of former Gov. Sarah Palin (Alaska).

63% of Georgia independents believe that gay couples should be able to enter into either a marriage or some form of civil union.

Nearly 60% of Georgia Republicans believe that there should be no legal recognition for gay couples. 24% of Georgia Republicans said they opposed interracial marriage in this same poll.

Read the poll here >