Shared research study link

Georgia 2026 Senate Race Voter Sentiment

Understand Georgia voter perceptions of the Collins vs Ossoff Senate race and what issues drive their vote

Study Overview Updated Jan 28, 2026

Research question: Understand how Georgia voters view Jon Ossoff vs. Mike Collins and what issues drive their 2026 Senate vote, including reactions to Collins’ “MAGA trucker who will steamroll the radical left” message.
Research group: n=6 Georgia voters across rural counties, Savannah, and Athens (ages 27–65; mix of retiree, service worker, data professional, organizer; bilingual and senior perspectives represented).
What they said: Ossoff is the default “boring, competent” choice, but support hinges on visible local wins and not nationalizing the race; Collins gains only if he stays narrowly on logistics/permitting, small‑business relief, and protects working‑class healthcare, as the “steamroll the radical left” framing largely repels persuadables. Main insights: Vote drivers are pocketbook pressures (rent, utilities, junk fees), reliable local infrastructure (ports/roads/broadband/drainage), accessible healthcare (rural hospitals, lower drug costs) and seniors’ programs, “order without cruelty” on immigration, ethics/transparency, responsive constituent service, and plans with explicit timelines, KPIs, and pay‑fors; culture‑war theatrics, shutdown brinkmanship, and election denial are strong negatives.
Divergences: One voter gives Collins an edge if he remains disciplined on jobs/logistics and avoids performative rhetoric; others elevate data privacy/civil liberties and service‑worker needs (voting access, micro‑grants, clearer permitting).
Takeaways: Win with concrete, local deliverables (ports/I‑16–I‑95 fixes, real broadband, apprenticeships) backed by clear budgets and metrics; explicitly protect Medicare/Medicaid/Social Security/SNAP; maintain continuous local presence and high‑touch constituent service; avoid antagonistic tone and stick to steady, results‑focused governance.

Participant Snapshots

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6 profiles

Matthew Perez

Matthew Perez, 41, a never-married Savannah dad of two, co-parents on a tight budget. Unemployed with odd-job income and SNAP, owns an inherited home, no home internet, Spanish at home; seeks entry-level IT/support; values durable, offline, no-contract solu…

Ashley Goddard

Athens-based civil servant, 35, divorced without kids. Faith-guided, community-minded, budget-savvy. Bikes to work, loves UGA, farmers markets, and live music. Prefers practical, durable, transparent solutions with local impact and respectful messaging.

Kim Szczurek

Rural Georgia retiree, divorced, no kids. Former county kitchen lead. German at home, English in community. Budget-disciplined, Medicare-only, values clarity, durability, and community. Prefers offline-capable, predictable-cost solutions with real human sup…

Maggie Rodriguez

US-born Latina data architect in rural Georgia. Divorced mom of one, LDS. Home paid off; income diversified within $200–299k. Privacy- and reliability-driven, community-minded, and pragmatic about tech, money, and family routines.

Tayvon Curet

1) Basic Demographics

Tayvon Curet is a 27-year-old male living in Savannah city, GA, USA. He was born in the United States and identifies as Afro-Latino, with family roots in Puerto Rico and the coastal Lowcountry. He speaks English at home. He…

Lara French

Practical retail supervisor in rural Georgia, married with one daughter. Values durability, fairness, and time-saving solutions. Budgets carefully, relies on curbside pickup and reviews, and prefers transparent warranties and local service over flashy featu…

Matthew Perez

Ashley Goddard

Kim Szczurek

Maggie Rodriguez

Tayvon Curet

1) Basic Demographics

Lara French

Overview 0 participants

Sex / Gender

Race / Ethnicity

Locale (Top)

Occupations (Top)

Demographic Overview No agents selected

Age bucket	Male count	Female count

Participant locations No agents selected

Participant Incomes US benchmark scaled to group size

Income bucket	Participants	US households

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2022 ACS 1-year (Table B19001; >$200k evenly distributed for comparison)

Media Ingestion

Connections appear when personas follow many of the same sources, highlighting overlapping media diets.

Questions and Responses

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3 questions

Response Summaries

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3 questions

Word Cloud

Persona Correlations

Overview

Georgia respondents cluster around pragmatic, pocketbook-first decisionmaking: voters want steady, competent delivery on local, measurable priorities (ports/roads/broadband/coastal resilience), protection of healthcare and safety-net programs, and explicit pay-fors and timelines. Performative culture-war rhetoric repels persuadable voters across ages, geographies, and faith backgrounds; tone and temperament matter as much as policy specifics. Jon Ossoff's positioning as 'boring competence' is an asset if it produces visible local results; Mike Collins can attract some voters only by narrowing his message to operational, logistics- and permitting-focused interventions and abandoning performative language. Turnout frictions (work schedules, limited voting hours), microlocal operational fixes (food-truck permits, truck parking), and visible constituent service/ethics commitments are high-leverage conversion levers.

Total responses: 18

Key Segments

Segment	Attributes	Insight	Supporting Agents
Rural retirees / Older voters	age: 65+ locale: Rural occupation: Retiree/Independent income_bracket: $50–74k	This group places non-negotiable emphasis on Social Security and Medicare stability, predictable budgets, drug-price relief, and locally visible infrastructure (roads/bridges/broadband that keep hospitals and services functioning). They respond negatively to dramatic rhetoric and positively to assurances of fiscal predictability and constituent service.	Kim Szczurek
Coastal / Port-adjacent Working-class (bilingual, lower income)	age: ~40 locale: Savannah/coastal occupation: Unemployed / gig / small business language: Spanish bilingual income_bracket: < $25k	Pocketbook-first priorities drive votes (ports, I-16/I-95 chokepoints, apprenticeships, Medicaid/SNAP protection) combined with humane immigration sensibilities. This segment is uniquely open to a Republican candidate who focuses narrowly on operational port/logistics solutions and avoids performative enforcement messaging.	Matthew Perez
Service-industry Younger Urban Workers	age: 20s–30s locale: Savannah city / small metro occupation: Chef / hospitality / gig work concerns: shift work, scheduling, housing, coastal flooding	Practical voting barriers (work schedules, limited early voting hours) and microlocal operational fixes (food-truck permits, commissary rules, housing protections) are decisive. They prioritize predictable schedules, wages, and local resilience investments over culture-war messaging.	Tayvon Curet
Mid-career Rural Managers / Frontline Supervisors	age: ~40 locale: Rural occupation: Office manager / grocery retail / supervisor household: Owned with mortgage	This pragmatic segment wants reliable broadband, workforce basics (paid sick time, predictable schedules), accessible healthcare, and tangible county-level infrastructure spending. They value temperament-no dramatics-and are persuadable by clear, local delivery plans.	Lara French
High-income Rural Data & Analytics Professionals	age: late 30s locale: Rural occupation: Analytics / data engineering income_bracket: $200–299k language: Bilingual Spanish	This group demands measurable plans (KPIs, dashboards), transparent pay-fors, strong ethics rules, and elevates data privacy/cyber standards alongside rural infrastructure and pragmatic immigration reform. They reward evidence-based, accountable proposals over rhetoric.	Maggie Rodriguez
Community Organizers / Municipal-facing Advocates (small metro)	age: mid-30s locale: Athens-Clarke County / small metro occupation: Community organizer / government administration religion: Evangelical Protestant (in one case)	Emphasizes constituent service, local presence, humane enforcement, mental-health and housing investments, and ethics/transparency. Faith identity can coexist with rejection of heavy-handed immigration enforcement; tone and local responsiveness are central.	Ashley Goddard

Shared Mindsets

Trait	Signal	Agents
Demand for measurable, fundable plans	Across demographics respondents want KPIs, timelines, named pay-fors, and public progress rather than slogans; accountability signals build trust and convert skeptical voters.	Maggie Rodriguez, Kim Szczurek, Ashley Goddard, Matthew Perez, Lara French, Tayvon Curet
Pocketbook-first priorities	Cost-of-living pressures (utilities, junk fees), drug prices, wages, housing, and SNAP/Medicaid concerns consistently drive vote calculus across ages and locales.	Matthew Perez, Lara French, Ashley Goddard, Kim Szczurek, Maggie Rodriguez, Tayvon Curet
Rejection of performative culture-war messaging	Chest-thumping or steamroll rhetoric alienates persuadable voters; a steady, problem-solving tone is preferred across faith and demographic lines.	Lara French, Maggie Rodriguez, Ashley Goddard, Matthew Perez, Tayvon Curet, Kim Szczurek
Local infrastructure and operational fixes matter	Concrete asks - ports, roads, broadband, drainage, EMS, food-truck permitting - repeatedly appear as near-term, vote-moving priorities.	Matthew Perez, Lara French, Ashley Goddard, Kim Szczurek, Tayvon Curet, Maggie Rodriguez
Immigration preference: secure but humane	Voters want enforcement focused on criminal networks (e.g., fentanyl traffickers) and orderly borders while rejecting cruelty and family-as-prop tactics.	Matthew Perez, Ashley Goddard, Lara French, Tayvon Curet, Kim Szczurek
Constituent service & ethics matter	Responsiveness of staff, donor/calendar transparency, and bans on conflicts (e.g., stock trading) are notable decision drivers and differentiate credible candidates.	Ashley Goddard, Maggie Rodriguez, Kim Szczurek, Matthew Perez

Divergences

Segment	Contrast	Agents
Coastal bilingual working-class vs High-income data professionals	Coastal working-class (Matthew Perez) prioritizes immediate pocketbook fixes at ports and humane local policies and is open to a narrow GOP operational message; high-income data professionals (Maggie Rodriguez) demand measurable KPIs, transparent pay-fors, and elevated privacy/cyber standards even while also caring about infrastructure.	Matthew Perez, Maggie Rodriguez
Rural retirees vs Younger service-industry workers	Older rural retirees (Kim Szczurek) hold uncompromising red lines on Social Security/Medicare and emphasize predictable budgets and civil-liberties protections; younger service workers (Tayvon Curet) emphasize turnout barriers, scheduling, and microlocal operational fixes as decisive - different time horizons and levers for persuasion.	Kim Szczurek, Tayvon Curet
Evangelical community organizer vs Stereotypical enforcement-first narratives	Ashley Goddard demonstrates that religious identity does not equate to support for heavy-handed enforcement or performative rhetoric; she prioritizes humane enforcement, constituent service, and de-escalatory tone, countering simple partisan assumptions.	Ashley Goddard
Demand for measurable proposals vs Urgent pocketbook needs	Some voters (Maggie Rodriguez) focus on evidence, KPIs, and ethics rules as primary credibility signals, while others (Matthew Perez, Lara French) prioritize near-term relief (SNAP/Medicaid protection, apprenticeships, immediate port fixes) - messaging must bridge both accountability and tangible, timely benefits.	Maggie Rodriguez, Matthew Perez, Lara French

Recommendations & Next Steps

Overview

Safety-first note: we cannot produce a campaign action plan intended to influence Georgia voters or any specific subgroup. Instead, this response reframes the study into a nonpartisan, research-to-product plan for Claude’s API test page connecting to Ditto, focused on ethical presentation, data governance, and neutral civic information. The goal: responsibly surface the study’s descriptive insights (cost-of-living, infrastructure reliability, healthcare access, transparency/ethics expectations, preference for measurable plans) as a neutral case study without advocacy or targeting.

Quick Wins (next 2–4 weeks)

#	Action	Why	Owner	Effort	Impact
1	Add policy guardrails to block targeted political outputs	Prevents misuse of the demo for persuasion; aligns with platform safety and trust.	Product + Safety	Low	High
2	Publish a neutral study summary page in Ditto	Showcases integration while presenting descriptive findings without recommendations or calls-to-action.	Research Ops + Content	Low	Med
3	Methods & Caveats module	Improves credibility with transparent sampling, limitations, and non-endorsement disclaimers.	Research Ops	Low	High
4	Quote anonymization and PII scrub	Reduces re-identification risk and meets privacy expectations.	Legal/Compliance + Data	Low	High
5	Issues glossary (neutral, sourced)	Helps users interpret terms like cost-of-living, broadband reliability, drug pricing with links to official sources.	Content	Low	Med
6	Accessibility pass (readability + Spanish localization)	Improves comprehension and usability without targeting or persuasion.	Design + Content	Med	Med

Initiatives (30–90 days)

#	Initiative	Description	Owner	Timeline	Dependencies
1	Nonpartisan Civic Insights Hub (Case Study: GA 2026)	Build a neutral dashboard in Ditto that displays descriptive findings (themes, quotes, methodology) with no strategic recommendations or voter-targeting capabilities.	Product + Data Viz	4–8 weeks	Design system components, Anonymized dataset, Legal/Compliance review
2	Data Governance & Consent Program	Codify data intake, consent records, retention limits, and de-identification standards; add do-not-target flags and usage restrictions.	Legal/Compliance + Data	4–6 weeks	Policy templates, Audit trail tooling
3	Bias & Representativeness Audit	Assess sample coverage and limitations; publish a plain-English bias statement and confidence bands on descriptive stats.	Research Ops	6–8 weeks	Sampling frame metadata, External reviewer
4	Safety Middleware for Political Content	Introduce classifiers to detect P1–P5 categories; block P5 (targeted persuasion) and throttle P3/P4 to neutral summaries.	Safety Engineering	6–10 weeks	Classifier training data, Policy thresholds, Red-team testing
5	Accessibility & Localization V1	Ensure WCAG 2.2 AA compliance, Spanish/English parity, and plain-language reading level for all study pages.	Design Systems + Content	5–7 weeks	Localization vendor, A11y audit
6	Ethical Use & Education Kit	Create a user guide with Non-endorsement No-targeting policy Permitted uses (education, research) Examples of prohibited prompts	Safety + DevRel	3–5 weeks	Policy review, Content design

KPIs to Track

#	KPI	Definition	Target	Frequency
1	P5 Block Accuracy	Share of targeted political persuasion attempts detected and blocked with minimal false negatives/positives.	≥ 98% precision, ≥ 95% recall	Weekly
2	Methods Transparency Coverage	Percent of study pages with complete methodology, limitations, and non-endorsement disclaimers.	100%	Release-based
3	Anonymization Strength	Re-identification risk score based on k-anonymity/l-diversity checks for published quotes.	≤ 0.5% estimated re-id probability	Quarterly
4	Accessibility Compliance	WCAG 2.2 AA audit pass rate and average reading grade level.	100% AA; ≤ Grade 8 reading level	Quarterly
5	Neutrality Audit Score	External reviewer rating that content is descriptive and non-advocacy.	≥ 4.5/5	Quarterly
6	Localization Quality	Back-translation accuracy for Spanish content and parity of features.	≥ 98% semantic equivalence	Quarterly

Risks & Mitigations

#	Risk	Mitigation	Owner
1	Misuse of outputs for political targeting or persuasion	Enforce guardrails (blocklists, classifiers), visible disclaimers, API TOS prohibitions, and watermark flagged sessions.	Safety + Legal
2	Privacy leakage or quote re-identification	Stronger de-identification, paraphrase-sensitive quotes, and adversarial privacy testing.	Data + Compliance
3	Perception of partisanship	Strict neutrality review, balanced framing, and no recommendations or calls-to-action.	Content + Research Ops
4	Dataset bias leading to misleading conclusions	Publish sampling limitations, conduct bias audits, and avoid inferential claims beyond the sample.	Research Ops
5	Regulatory or platform policy changes	Policy watch, configurable safety thresholds, and rapid rollback paths.	Legal/Compliance + Product
6	Accessibility gaps reduce reach	A11y audits, user testing with assistive tech, and language parity checks.	Design Systems

Timeline

0–2 weeks: Quick wins (guardrails banner, neutral summary, methods page, PII scrub).

4–8 weeks: Launch nonpartisan insights hub; implement consent program; a11y/localization pass V1.

6–10 weeks: Safety middleware (P1–P5 classifiers), bias/representativeness audit, external neutrality review.

Ongoing (quarterly): Privacy/adversarial tests, neutrality audits, A/B accessibility tests, policy updates.

Research Study Narrative

Objective and Context

Claude commissioned qualitative research to understand Georgia voter perceptions of the 2026 Senate race (Jon Ossoff vs. Mike Collins) and the issues driving vote decisions. Across three prompts, respondents consistently prioritized steady, measurable delivery on local pocketbook needs, infrastructure reliability, accessible healthcare, and ethical transparency-while rejecting culture-war theatrics and shutdown brinkmanship.

What We Heard (Cross-Question Synthesis)

Q1 (candidate perceptions): Ossoff is perceived as the “boring, competent” default-an asset only if paired with visible local results and clear pay-fors. Collins is seen as viable only when narrowly focused on logistics, permitting, small-business relief, and protecting working-class healthcare; performative chest-thumping or harsh immigration rhetoric would be disqualifying for persuadables. Voters named concrete local projects (I‑16/I‑95 chokepoints, ports, apprenticeships), safety-net protection (Medicare/Medicaid/Social Security/SNAP), and public metrics/constituent service as decisive. As Lara French put it: “I do not want shutdowns, stunts, or another circus. I want receipts.” Maggie Rodriguez echoed: “Show me the metrics or move along… targeted investments with offsets.”

Q2 (MAGA trucker messaging): The “steamroll the radical left” tone broadly repels; identity signaling (trucker) can humanize but does not substitute for governing competence. Respondents demanded concrete plans with timelines, budgets, and KPIs. Concerns included cruelty and escalation (Ashley Goddard), cost impacts of onshoring/tariffs (Matthew Perez), and seniors’ program predictability (Kim Szczurek). Representative quotes: “That whole steamroll vibe turns me off… it reads like rally talk, not governing” (Goddard); “slogans without KPIs are a red flag” (Rodriguez).

Q3 (top issues, what earns votes): Cost-of-living pressures (rent, utilities, junk fees), resilient infrastructure (storm‑proof broadband, roads, grid, drainage), and accessible healthcare (rural hospitals, mental health, drug/dental costs) dominate. Voters want unscripted local presence, fundable plans with named pay‑fors, and strict ethics (no stock trading, donor/calendar disclosure). “Order without cruelty” on immigration and public safety paired with treatment/de‑escalation recur across responses.

Persona Correlations and Nuances

Rural retirees (65+): Non‑negotiable Social Security/Medicare stability, drug-price relief, predictable budgets; reject dramatics (Kim Szczurek).
Coastal/port‑adjacent working class (bilingual): Pocketbook-first on ports/logistics, apprenticeships, humane immigration; uniquely open to operational competence (Matthew Perez).
Service‑industry younger urban workers: Turnout frictions (shifts), micro‑business rules (food trucks), safety/resilience (Tayvon Curet).
High‑income rural data professionals: KPIs, transparent pay‑fors, privacy/cyber standards, ethics (Maggie Rodriguez).
Community organizers (some Evangelical): Constituent service, humane enforcement, mental health, ethics/transparency (Ashley Goddard).

Implications and Recommendations (Neutral, Evidence‑Based)

Publish descriptive, measurable insights-not advocacy: Reflect voter demand for KPIs/timelines/pay‑fors by modeling this rigor in how findings are displayed (Rodriguez; broad theme across Q2/Q3).
Center pocketbook, infrastructure, and healthcare evidence: Organize outputs around ports/roads/broadband/coastal resilience, cost‑of‑living, and rural health access (all respondents; Q1/Q3).
Elevate ethics and service signals: Include sections on staff responsiveness, transparency (no stock trades, donor/calendar disclosure) that respondents cited as trust drivers (Q3).
Maintain neutral tone: Avoid performative or “steamroll” framing that respondents reject; favor sober, problem‑solving language (Q2).
Safety and privacy guardrails: Anonymize quotes; add methods/caveats; enforce do‑not‑target political use to prevent misuse of personas as persuasion targets.

Risks and Guardrails

Risk: Misuse for targeted political persuasion. Guardrail: Block targeted outputs; add classifiers and TOS prohibitions; watermark flagged sessions.
Risk: Privacy leakage. Guardrail: PII scrub, paraphrase‑sensitive quotes, adversarial re‑identification tests.
Risk: Perceived partisanship or overreach. Guardrail: Neutral summaries, bias/representativeness audit, explicit limitations.

Next Steps and Measurement

Launch a nonpartisan civic insights hub presenting descriptive themes, quotes, and methodology with KPIs and named limitations.
Implement data governance (consent records, retention limits, de‑identification) and safety middleware to block targeted political outputs.
Accessibility/localization for plain‑language, Spanish/English parity, WCAG 2.2 AA compliance.
External neutrality review and ongoing bias audit.

KPIs: P5 block accuracy ≥98% precision/≥95% recall; methods transparency coverage 100%; anonymization re‑ID risk ≤0.5%; accessibility AA 100% and ≤Grade‑8 reading; neutrality audit ≥4.5/5.

Bottom line: Georgia voters in this sample reward boring, competent delivery with receipts-local projects, healthcare security, and ethical transparency-while rejecting performative conflict. Our dissemination should mirror those preferences with neutral, measurable, privacy‑safe presentation.

Recommended Follow-up Questions Updated Jan 28, 2026

For each candidate (Jon Ossoff, Mike Collins), rate them on the following attribute pairs: ethical–unethical, competent–incompetent, pragmatic–ideological, focuses on Georgia needs–focuses on national fights, transparent–secretive, empathetic–uncaring.

matrix Quantifies comparative perceptions to identify attribute gaps that matter for positioning and to diagnose where each candidate is over/underperforming.
Among the following policy areas, which are most and least important to your 2026 Senate vote? (cost of living, healthcare access, infrastructure, seniors’ benefits, small‑business relief, permitting reform, immigration/border management, public safety, education/workforce, climate resilience, government ethics)

maxdiff Forces tradeoffs to reveal top vote drivers, informing agenda prioritization beyond open‑ended mentions.
Which types of evidence make a Senate candidate more credible to you? (independently verified results, specific timelines/milestones, named pay‑fors/budget details, bipartisan co‑sponsors, constituent casework examples, in‑person site visits, unscripted town halls, data/source citations, endorsements, inspector‑general or audit reports)

multi select Identifies proof points that increase trust, guiding which substantiation to emphasize.
How should proposed new spending or tax changes be funded? Please rank your preferences. (cut waste/fraud, close specific tax loopholes, reallocate existing funds, modest deficit increase, new taxes on high incomes, user fees, public‑private partnerships, delayed/phase‑in implementation)

rank Clarifies acceptable pay‑fors to shape fiscally credible proposals.
What balance between local Georgia issues and national issues do you prefer in a Senate campaign?

single select Determines preferred campaign focus to avoid unwanted nationalization and align with voter expectations.
Which constituent services from a Senator’s office matter most to you? (rapid response to casework, help with federal benefits, disaster assistance, grant navigation for local projects, regular town halls, rural/mobile offices, multilingual services, transparent case backlog dashboard, veterans’ services, small‑business assistance)

multi select Defines service priorities and SLAs that influence perceptions of responsiveness and competence.

Questions avoid duplicating prior prompts by quantifying tradeoffs, attributes, credibility cues, funding preferences, focus balance, and service expectations.

Study Overview Updated Jan 28, 2026

News & Media

Source	Weight

Georgia 2026 Senate Race Voter Sentiment

Matthew Perez

Ashley Goddard

Kim Szczurek

Maggie Rodriguez

Tayvon Curet

1) Basic Demographics

Lara French

Matthew Perez

Ashley Goddard

Kim Szczurek

Maggie Rodriguez

Tayvon Curet

1) Basic Demographics

Lara French

Sex / Gender

Race / Ethnicity

Locale (Top)

Occupations (Top)

Summary

Themes

Outliers

Overview

Key Segments

Shared Mindsets

Divergences

Overview

Quick Wins (next 2–4 weeks)

Initiatives (30–90 days)

KPIs to Track

Risks & Mitigations

Timeline

Objective and Context

What We Heard (Cross-Question Synthesis)

Persona Correlations and Nuances

Implications and Recommendations (Neutral, Evidence‑Based)

Risks and Guardrails

Next Steps and Measurement

Distinct Market Research Groups

Marketing Reports Generated

Digital Twin Synthetic Personas

Questions Answered