A University of Georgia poll shows the race between incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock and GOP challenger Herschel Walker locked in a tight race.
But the survey, first reported in the Atlantic Journal Constitution, includes only some responses from voters after news broke of allegations against the anti-abortion Walker that he paid for an ex-girlfriend’s abortion in 2009, a claim Walker continues to deny despite mounting evidence.
The poll put Warnock three-points ahead of Walker, at 46% support to 43%, according the AJC. Neither candidate claims majority support in the poll and Warnock’s lead is within the margin of error. A candidate needs more than 50% of the vote to avoid a runoff. Libertarian candidate Chase Oliver received 4% support in the poll, which could serve as a spoiler to either candidate as the seek to win without heading to a runoff. In addition, 6% of respondents in the poll remain undecided.
Meanwhile, Republicans have more cause for celebration in Georgia’s Governor’s race. Incumbent Republican Gov. Brian Kemp holds a significant edge over Democratic challenger Stacey Abrams at 51% to 41%. If that holds, Kemp could claim victory outright in November, without a runoff. Like in the Senate race, 6% of respondents remain undecided. Only 2% back the Libertarian in the race, Shane Hazel, according to AJC.
Warnock is doing a better job of pulling cross-party votes than Walker. The outlet reports about 9% of voters backing Kemp for Governor plan to vote for Warnock, but only about 1% of Abrams’ supporters intend to vote for Walker.
That shows Warnock may be benefitting from Walker’s troubled candidacy, while Kemp is surging ahead buoyed by historic trends that favor the party out of power in the White House during Midterm elections. The survey found that President Joe Biden’s approval rating remains low, at just 38% while only a fifth of voters think the country is moving in the right direction, according to AJC.
The UGA poll was conducted Sept. 25-Oct. 4 among 1,030 likely Georgia voters. The poll closed the same day The Daily Beast reported Walker’s abortion allegations.
