U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson has moved into a commanding lead in his re-election campaign, according to a new poll.

Republican Isakson took 57 percent of the vote versus 30 percent for state Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond in the Rasmussen Reports survey released Tuesday. Six percent preferred another candidate and eight percent were undecided.

Isakson has gained ground since Thurmond jumped into the race a month ago. At that time, Isakson led 51 percent to Thurmond's 35 percent. Despite the slim to none chance of success, the labor commissioner, an African-American, was persuaded by state and national Democrats to enter the race to shore up support among the base for the party slate in November.

Among independents, or voters not affiliated with either major party, Isakson drew 53 percent to Thurmond's 24 percent.

Isakson also draws support from the 63 percent of Georgia voters in favor of repealing outright the newly enacted federal health care legislation. Of those voters, a whopping 85 percent said they supported Isakson. Incidentally, a Rasmussen poll released Monday showed 63 percent of voters across the nation likewise favor repeal - the highest percentage yet.

In the Georgia governor's race, the Rasmussen poll showed former Congressman Nathan Deal, Republican, still leading the pack. Against the leading Democrat, former Gov. Roy Barnes of Mableton, Deal had 47 percent to Barnes' 40 percent, about the same as the results a month ago when it was 46-39. Barnes continued to trail Deal and two other Repubicans, Karen Handel and John Oxendine.

Rasmussen noted that Barnes has not risen above the low 40s in any of the match-ups with the top Republican candidates. However, this is all going to change after the July 20 primaries when Barnes is expected to win the Democratic nomination.

Deal, no doubt, is going to face more criticism about a report by the Office of Congressional Ethics in March asserting that he violated House rules by improperly using his office to further his auto salvage business and that he exceeded the limit on outside income. Deal allegedly "took active steps" to preserve the state program that brought hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to his Gainesville-based business.

Deal's campaign has labeled the ethics report nothing more than a "witch hunt" by Democrats seeking to hurt his campaign for governor.

On the question of offshore drilling for oil, believe it or not, 65 percent of Georgia voters in the Rasmussen poll said they favored continued drilling despite the disaster still unfolding in the Gulf of Mexico.

As for the attitudes toward Congress, only 17 percent of Georgia voters "are at least somewhat confident that Congress knows what it's doing when it comes to addressing the nation's economic problems." An overwhelming 78 percent are not very confident or not at all confident.

And get this: 49 percent of Georgia voters said a group of people chosen randomly from the telephone book would do a better job of dealing with our problems than the current Congress.

dmckee9613@aol.com