Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., holds a 9-point lead over Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., in one of the nation's most consequential U.S. Senate contests, according to an AARP survey released Thursday.

The poll found Ossoff was supported by 52% of likely Georgia voters, compared with 43% for Collins, while 5% were undecided or backed another candidate.

AARP commissioned the bipartisan polling firms Fabrizio Ward and Impact Research to survey 1,060 likely voters statewide from July 13-16 through live telephone interviews and text messages directing respondents to an online survey.

The survey had a margin of error of 3 percentage points, placing Ossoff's advantage outside that range.

The results underscored the central role older Georgians could play in the Nov. 3 election, with 88% of voters age 50 and older rating their motivation to vote at 10 on a 10-point scale, compared with 62% of voters under 50.

The age divide was stark: Ossoff led Collins 61% to 31% among voters ages 18 to 49, while Collins led 61% to 37% among voters 65 and older.

Collins also held a 53% to 45% advantage among all voters age 50 and older, but Ossoff led independent voters 55% to 35%.

Georgia is a top Republican pickup opportunity as the GOP defends its 53-47 Senate majority, and Democrats would need a net gain of four seats to take control without relying on a vice presidential tie-breaking vote.

Ossoff, 39, is the only Democrat senator seeking reelection this year in a state carried by President Donald Trump in 2024, when Trump reclaimed Georgia four years after losing it to Joe Biden.

Ossoff first won office in a January 2021 runoff, when his victory alongside Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., gave Democrats control of an evenly divided Senate.

Collins, a two-term House member from east Georgia, secured the Republican nomination last month by defeating former football coach Derek Dooley in a runoff after receiving Trump's endorsement.

Ossoff enters the general election with a substantial financial advantage, reporting $42.5 million in cash on hand through June 30 after raising about $77 million this election cycle.

He raised $20 million during the second quarter and held roughly a 20-to-1 financial advantage over Collins, The Associated Press reported.

The first-term senator has also adopted a more confrontational tone toward Trump as he seeks to energize Democratic voters and make affordability and the administration's conduct central campaign issues.

Before Trump's address last week on alleged Chinese interference in the 2020 election, Ossoff told reporters, "The world's most famous sore loser will deliver a primetime presidential sour-grapes address to pursue his 6-year-old grievances about the 2020 election, while his war in the Middle East spirals out of control and the cost of living continues to rise for Americans across the country."

Trump attacked Ossoff during a Wednesday appearance in Georgia while promoting Collins and other Republican candidates.

"Georgia is a state that believes in common sense, and yet your terrible Sen. Jon Ossoff is terrible," Trump said.

The findings provide Ossoff fresh momentum less than four months before Election Day, although Georgia's recent statewide races have been decided by narrow margins and both parties are expected to spend heavily through the fall.