A new Georgia poll found that former GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain, whose embrace of the Tea Party briefly propelled him to the top of the 2012 GOP presidential primary field during primary, leads incumbent Republican Georgia Senator Saxby Chambliss by 14 points in a hypothetical primary showdown. 

According to a Public Policy Polling (PPP) poll, Cain would defeat Chambliss, 50%-36%, in a potential primary. However, Cain recently said he would not run for the senate seat. 

The poll found Chambliss, whose support for raising the top tax rate in violation of the anti-tax "Taxpayer Protection Pledge" he signed has upset conservatives, remains vulnerable from a viable challenge from his right.  Forty-three percent of Georgia’s Republican primary voters want someone more conservative than Chambliss to be their nominee while 38% prefer Chambliss.

The poll also found 68% of Georgians have a favorable opinion of Cain while only 20% view him unfavorably. In addition, Cain is the most preferred candidate among Republicans to challenge Chambliss, with 38% of Republicans preferring Cain as their top choice to primary the incumbent senator. Eight percent of Georgia Republicans preferred Allen West as their top choice. Four percent preferred Karen Handel and Rep. Tom Price, as of now, while 3% preferred Erick Erickson. 

PPP polled 729 Georgia voters, including 389 "usual Republican primary voters," from November 30 to December 2, and the margin of error is +/- 3.6%.