Georgia Senate race unchanged after Walker abortion report: poll

A new survey indicates that the Georgia race between Sen. Raphael Warnock (D) and his Republican challenger, Herschel Walker, is largely holding steady amid reports that the former football star pressured a former girlfriend into getting an abortion, which he also paid for. 

A Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday showed Warnock leading Walker by 7 points, 52 percent to 45 percent. Warnock led by 6 points in a Quinnipiac poll from last month. 

The Daily Beast reported last week that a woman said Walker reimbursed her for an abortion after she became pregnant with his child. Walker has faced criticism for hypocrisy since he is running on a platform staunchly opposed to allowing abortion and not supporting any exceptions. 

The Daily Beast later reported that the woman is the mother of one of Walker’s children, and The New York Times reported Friday that Walker had urged her to get an abortion for that pregnancy too, which the woman refused. 

The Washington Post reported on Tuesday that the woman had to repeatedly urge Walker to provide her the money to have the abortion she had in 2009. 

Walker has denied the allegations, claiming he first learned who the woman is on Friday and that she never mentioned having an abortion. 

The Quinnipiac survey showed Warnock with a comfortable 15-point lead among independents. 

Warnock, the pastor of an Atlanta church, also outperforms Walker in favorability ratings. The incumbent is viewed favorably by 50 percent of respondents and unfavorably by 44 percent, while Walker is viewed favorably by 39 percent and unfavorably by 55 percent. 

A majority of respondents also said that Warnock is honest, has good leadership skills and cares about average Georgians. Most respondents said Walker is not honest and does not have good leadership skills, and half said he does not care about average Georgians. 

“With time running out to get to the metaphorical goal line of November 8th and despite repeated penalty flags flying at his honesty and integrity, Herschel Walker is down by seven in the 4th quarter and still has a shot against incumbent Raphael Warnock in Georgia’s Senate race,” said Quinnipiac polling analyst Tim Malloy. 

The poll was conducted from Oct. 7 to 10, after the reports surrounding Walker came out, among 1,157 likely voters. The margin of error was 2.9 points. 

A recent Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Georgia News Collaborative poll found Warnock was leading by 3 points.