Only Five Points Separate Maura Keller and Brian Jack in New Congressional Poll

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Only five percentage points separate Democratic congressional candidate Maura Keller and Republican incumbent Brian Jack in a new poll of likely voters in Georgia’s 3rd Congressional District, a considerably smaller margin than Jack’s victory over Keller in 2024.

The survey, conducted October 2–7 by VoteNexus, found Jack receiving 50% of the vote, Keller receiving 45%, and 5% of respondents undecided. The five-point difference falls within the survey’s reported margin of error of ±5.6 percentage points.

The poll included 301 likely voters who were randomly selected and invited by text message to complete an online survey. Results were not weighted, and the margin of error was reported at a 95% confidence level. The survey was commissioned by Keller’s campaign.

In the November 2024 general election, Jack defeated Keller with approximately 66.3% of the vote to her 33.7%. The new survey places Keller’s support 11.3 percentage points above her share of the vote in that election, although polling results and actual election outcomes are not directly equivalent.

The survey also measured voter preferences in several statewide races. In the governor’s contest, Republican Rick Jackson received 51% compared with Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms’ 45%. In the Public Service Commission District 3 race, Republican Fitz Johnson and Democrat Peter Hubbard were tied at 43%, with 14% undecided.

Across the four races tested, Democratic candidates received between 39% and 45% support, with Keller and Bottoms recording the highest shares.

The poll also found that 54% of respondents believed the country was on the wrong track, compared with 40% who believed it was headed in the right direction. Another 6% were unsure.

The publicly released survey did not include findings about voters’ positions on individual policy issues. However, in a separate interview with The Citizen, Keller discussed several areas where she disagrees with the Trump administration and outlined policies she would pursue if elected to Congress.

A Military Veteran Questions the War in Iran

Keller, a retired Army lieutenant colonel who served 26 years in the military, opposes the Trump administration’s military involvement in Iran and questions whether the administration has clearly defined its objectives.

“First of all, you’ve got to know what the objective is. What’s the mission? Then you have a plan, and then you have what they call an exit strategy,” Keller said.

Keller said she is concerned about the resources being committed to the conflict and whether prolonged military operations could weaken America’s readiness to respond to threats elsewhere.

She also connected the conflict to rising fuel costs, describing conversations with farmers, independent truckers, construction business owners, and college students struggling with the expense of commuting to Atlanta. One small construction company owner told Keller that increasing diesel costs were not accounted for in his budget, illustrating the financial pressures she believes the conflict is placing on residents of Georgia’s 3rd Congressional District.

Keller believes the administration should provide a clearer explanation of the military mission, the strategy for completing it, and the benefits to American national security.

Data Centers and Local Communities

The rapid growth of data centers across Georgia is another major focus of Keller’s campaign.

Although she acknowledges the need for technological infrastructure, Keller questions how developers select properties, secure zoning approvals, and determine the effects of their projects on surrounding communities.

She said some developers are pursuing speculative projects without confirmed tenants, hoping to attract technology companies after construction. While “If you build it, they will come” may have worked in the movie Field of Dreams, Keller questions whether that approach makes sense for large-scale data center development, particularly when communities may be left dealing with the consequences.

Keller is particularly concerned about electricity rates, water consumption, environmental protections, and the ability of residents to participate meaningfully in decisions affecting their neighborhoods.

“We have to be good stewards of our communities,” Keller said.

Keller said data centers are necessary, but she believes their development must be balanced against the effects on surrounding neighborhoods, utility customers, and the environment.

She said local zoning decisions and eminent domain issues are largely outside the direct authority of Congress, but she sees opportunities for federal legislation addressing environmental reviews, transparency agreements, and consumer protections.

“We can get into Congress. We can make law where we can force environmental impact studies to be done,” Keller said. “We can enforce that companies coming in cannot hide under NDAs.”

She also favors measures intended to protect electric utility customers from bearing infrastructure costs associated with data center development.

Keller described opposition to certain data center projects as an issue that crosses party lines, noting that residents with different political affiliations have raised similar concerns about the effects on their communities.

Healthcare Costs and Access to Insurance

Keller, who previously worked as a nuclear medicine technologist at the Atlanta VA, said affordable healthcare remains one of her priorities, particularly for veterans, small business owners, service industry workers, and residents of rural communities.

She opposes reductions in federal healthcare support and wants to restore assistance that makes Affordable Care Act insurance coverage more affordable.

Keller described conversations with people whose health insurance premiums increased after changes to federal subsidies. Some, she said, have concluded they can no longer afford coverage.

“In some cases, they doubled,” Keller said of the premiums people showed her.

She said those residents face difficult decisions about whether to continue paying for coverage or go without insurance and hope they do not become seriously ill.

Keller also worries that patients without insurance will delay routine medical care and eventually turn to hospital emergency departments, placing additional pressure on local healthcare facilities.

Medicare reimbursement rates are another concern. Keller said physicians have told her that low reimbursement rates could eventually force them to limit the number of Medicare patients they accept.

She believes that possibility is particularly troubling in rural communities, where access to physicians is already limited.

Raising Wages Without Hurting Small Businesses

Keller supports increasing the federal minimum wage, which has remained at $7.25 per hour since 2009.

“Seventeen years is too long to not have wages go up,” Keller said. “$7.25 just doesn’t cut it.”

Although she mentioned possible wage levels in the $15–$18 range during the interview, Keller stopped short of endorsing a specific new federal minimum wage.

She argued that raising wages could help workers afford housing and reduce their dependence on government assistance.

At the same time, she acknowledged that smaller businesses could have difficulty absorbing additional payroll costs.

“My biggest concern is how do we save the mom and pop shops,” Keller said.

She suggested exploring tax incentives or other financial assistance for small businesses that increase employee compensation.

Keller believes that major corporations have greater financial flexibility to accommodate wage increases, while independently owned businesses may need additional support to make those changes.

Who Should Pay More in Taxes?

Asked whether her proposals would require tax increases, Keller said she does not support raising income tax rates on ordinary working Americans.

Instead, she favors reconsidering tax advantages available to wealthy individuals and large corporations.

“Am I looking at raising the everyday people tax rate? No,” Keller said.

She argued that changes to tax deductions and other provisions benefiting wealthy taxpayers could provide additional federal revenue, potentially helping reduce the national debt or fund other priorities.

Keller said she wants smaller businesses to receive greater consideration when lawmakers establish tax policy, particularly when businesses are being asked to increase employee wages.

She also criticized what she sees as a mismatch between political promises of fiscal responsibility and federal spending decisions.

For Keller, the discussion of wages, healthcare, and taxes ultimately comes back to household affordability and whether working Americans can keep pace with rising expenses.

Looking Toward November

Keller is seeking to unseat Jack in a rematch of their 2024 congressional contest.

The new VoteNexus survey provides a snapshot of voter preferences approximately one month before the November 3 general election. Its findings are subject to sampling uncertainty, and the five-point difference should not be interpreted as a prediction of the election outcome.

Keller’s campaign has made affordability, veterans’ services, healthcare, rural investment, and data center oversight central elements of her platform.

To learn more about Keller’s positions and campaign, visit www.maurakeller.com.

This coverage was paid for by Maura Keller for Congress.