A new poll finds Gov. Brian Kemp leading Democrat Stacey Abrams.
ATLANTA – Republican Gov. Brian Kemp has opened a seven-point lead on Democratic challenger Stacey Abrams, while U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., is tied with GOP challenger Herschel Walker, according to a new poll.
The survey, conducted by the progressive think tank and polling firm Data for Progress, shows Kemp leading Abrams 51% to 44% in their second race for governor. Kemp narrowly defeated Abrams in 2018.
Warnock, who is running for a first full term in the Senate, and Walker, the University of Georgia football icon, each polled 46% of the vote.
In both races, a Libertarian candidate is polling in the single digits.
The poll also found President Joe Biden well underwater with Georgia voters. The Democrat is viewed favorably by 42% of voters surveyed, while 57% hold an unfavorable view of the president.
Former President Donald Trump did somewhat better, with a 47% favorable rating and 51% viewing the Republican unfavorably.
Just more than half of those surveyed – 51% – said their biggest concern heading into the November elections is addressing economic ills including inflation. Well below the economy were the 17% of voters who said they were most concerned that the Democratic Party is moving too far left.
Next on the priority list came the need to protect access to legal and safe abortions, the most important issue for 16% of voters surveyed. Another 14% said they’re most concerned that the Republican Party is moving too far right.
Data for Progress interviewed 1,006 likely Georgia voters between Sept. 16 and Sept. 20. The sample was weighted to be representative of likely voters by age, gender, education, race, geography, and voting history.
The poll had a margin of error of plus-or-minus 3%.
This story is available through a news partnership with Capitol Beat News Service, a project of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation.
ATLANTA – After weeks of back-and-forth political posturing, Georgia’s U.S. Senate candidates have agreed to a televised debate.
U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., and Republican challenger Herschel Walker will meet Oct. 14 in Savannah.
After the two sides agreed to the debate late Tuesday, Warnock upped the ante by inviting Walker to at least one additional debate in Macon or Atlanta.
“Reverend Warnock is eager to speak to Georgians about his work on their behalf and remains hopeful Herschel Walker will do right by Georgians, get on a debate stage at least one other time … and explain his positions to them,” said Quentin Fulks, Warnock’s campaign manager.
“I’m glad to see that Raphael Warnock has agreed to face the voters,” Walker countered. “I’m looking forward to October 14th so the voters can see the contrast between us.”
Georgia Public Broadcasting has scheduled a Senate debate Oct. 16 at its Midtown Atlanta studios.
But Walker has balked at such a studio debate for weeks, insisting that the debate be held before a live audience, raising the possibility that Warnock could end up on the stage with an empty podium.
The Savannah debate will be hosted by WSAV-TV and shown on other stations across Georgia.
This story is available through a news partnership with Capitol Beat News Service, a project of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation.
ATLANTA – Republican U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker has agreed to debate incumbent Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock Oct. 14 in Savannah.
For weeks, Warnock has been criticizing Walker for not agreeing to a specific schedule of debates. Walker has responded by saying said he would be ready to debate his opponent but only under “fair and equitable” terms.
The one-hour Savannah debate will take place before a live audience of about 500.
“I’m not going to obey the demands of the elite press and the liberal establishment to stand in an empty room for a debate that is supposed to be about the people,” Walker said in a video statement released Tuesday night.
“I accepted a debate that’s about the voters. I’m leaving the media elite behind and taking my message right to the people.”
Warnock campaign manager Quentin Fulks said the senator would like to see more than one debate.
“Two months ago, Reverend Warnock accepted invitations to three well-established Georgia debates in Atlanta, Savannah, and Macon to be broadcast statewide, after Herschel Walker said he would debate Reverend Warnock anywhere, anytime,” Fulks said.
“Nothing has changed. Reverend Warnock remains committed to debating Herschel Walker and giving Georgians three opportunities to see the clear choice about who is ready to represent Georgia.”
If only the Oct. 14 debate takes place, it would be in a Republican-friendly area of the state and away from metro Atlanta, which Warnock dominated on the way to his election victory in January of last year. However, Savannah also is Warnock’s hometown.
The Savannah debate will be televised by Fox 5 Atlanta, the Nexstar Media Group markets serving Georgia in Augusta, Savannah, Columbus, Spartanburg, S.C., and Dothan, Ala. It also will air on the Sinclair-owned stations in Macon and Albany.
This story is available through a news partnership with Capitol Beat News Service, a project of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation.
ALPHARETTA – Republican U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker landed an endorsement from a national law-enforcement organization Friday, even as Democrats continued to hammer away at false claims that he worked in law enforcement.
The National Border Patrol Council endorsed Walker, citing his support for tougher enforcement at the nation’s southern border to choke off illegal drug smuggling.
“We have a very, very serious crisis on our southwestern border,” council President Brandon Judd said during a news conference outside Alpharetta City Hall. “The drug epidemic … is killing too many of our children.”
Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who represented a district in Atlanta’s northern suburbs for 20 years, characterized Democratic incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock as soft on crime.
“Senator Warnock favors policies that put criminals back on the streets,” Gingrich said.
Former Cobb County Sheriff Neil Warren, a friend of Walker’s for almost 30 years, said Walker served the Cobb sheriff’s department as an honorary deputy and often spent time at the jail talking to prisoners.
“He made a lot of difference with a lot of inmates at that facility,” Warren said. “Herschel Walker is probably one of the best ambassadors for law enforcement in this country. … We need him in the Senate.”
“We’ve got to get behind the men and women in blue, let them know we have got their backs and are going to fund them,” Walker said when his turn came at the podium.
Walker said Warren’s testimony should answer Democrats’ criticism that he has been making false claims about his law enforcement experience.
But the Democratic Party of Georgia cited instances of Walker’s false claims that go well beyond his work in Cobb County, including that he was an FBI agent and spent time at the agency’s training school in Quantico, Va.
Warnock’s campaign shot back at Republican criticism of his law enforcement record, pointing to his support for $3.9 billion in grants for state and local law enforcement this year, including $250 million for the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) hiring program.
The senator also backs the bipartisan Invest to Protect Act, which would invest in training, equipment, mental health support, and officer recruitment and retention to support small law enforcement agencies.
Walker continued Friday to express his willingness to debate Warnock. However, the two have yet to agree on a time and place.
“I’m ready to debate,” Walker said. “[But] it has to be a fair and equitable debate.”
The former University of Georgia football great easily captured the Republican nomination to challenge Warnock, winning the Republican primary in May over five other candidates.
Warnock, who won the Senate seat in January of last year in a runoff over incumbent Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler, is seeking a full six-year term in November.
This story is available through a news partnership with Capitol Beat News Service, a project of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation.
ATLANTA – U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., is continuing to raise more money toward his reelection bid than Republican challenger Herschel Walker.
Warnock brought in more than $17.2 million during the second quarter, the senator’s campaign reported Wednesday.
The Walker campaign received nearly $6.2 million in contributions during April, May, and June.
Warnock reported $22.2 million in cash on hand as of June 30, to nearly $7 million for Walker.
The Warnock campaign received contributions from more than 258,000 individual donors during the second quarter. The average donation was $37.
“This haul and the tens of thousands of grassroots donors lining up to support the campaign in record numbers are just the latest sign that Georgians see Reverend Warnock working on their behalf in the U.S. Senate, and they are ready to help propel our campaign to victory,” said Quentin Fulks, Warnock’s campaign manager.
Walker brought in contributions from nearly 70,000 donors from all 50 states in April, May, and June.
“Team Herschel and I are so grateful for the incredible outpouring of support we’ve received from people who truly believe in our campaign and what we will deliver for Georgia,” Walker said.
Walker, a star running back on the University of Georgia’s 1980 national championship football team, won the Republican nomination to challenge Warnock in May, easily defeating five GOP primary opponents.
Warnock defeated incumbent Republican Kelly Loeffler to win the Senate seat in a special election runoff in January of last year. He captured the Democratic nomination for a full six-year term in May.
This story is available through a news partnership with Capitol Beat News Service, a project of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation.
