Warnock, Kemp lead in respective Georgia races: poll

Georgia’s Sen. Raphael Warnock (D) and Gov. Brian Kemp (R) are leading their challengers in their respective reelection races, according to a new poll released on Thursday.

A poll from the AARP’s Georgia chapter conducted by Fabrizio Ward & Impact Research shows that 50 percent of likely voters polled would vote for Warnock compared to 47 percent who would back Republican challenger Herschel Walker, the former football star.

When looking specifically at independent voters, 48 percent said they would back Warnock compared to 45 percent who said they would back Walker. 

Polling between Warnock and Walker is within the poll’s margin of error, which is plus or minus 4.4 percentage points, meaning that the candidates are essentially tied among voters. 

Separately, 52 percent of respondents said they would back Kemp over Georgia Democratic challenger Stacey Abrams in the rematch of their 2018 gubernatorial battle.

Among independent voters, 54 percent said they would support the incumbent compared to 40 percent who said they would back Abrams, a voting rights activist and former state lawmaker.

The polling shows the potential for incumbency to help candidates edge past their competitors in November; it could also signal that voters are not necessarily tied to their political party. 

Warnock more than doubled Walker’s second quarter fundraising for this year, while Abrams also raked in more money in May and June than Kemp.

Both races are rated as “toss-ups” by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report and are considered some of the most competitive in this year’s midterms.

In the case of Walker’s race, it is also considered a test of former President Trump’s influence among voters given that he has backed Walker.

The AARP poll was conducted from July 5 to July 11, with 1,197 likely Georgia voters surveyed.