Republican Herschel Walker has surged ahead of Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock in the high-profile Georgia U.S. Senate contest, according to a poll released Wednesday.
The Emerson College/The Hill poll found Mr. Walker, the frontrunner for the Republican Senate nomination, leading with 49% support versus 45% for Mr. Warnock, with 6% undecided.
Mr. Walker, a former Heisman Trophy winner and NFL running back supported by former President Donald Trump, is challenging Mr. Warnock, who defeated Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler in a special election in 2020.
The RealClearPolitics polling average shows Mr. Walker leading Mr. Warnock in the hypothetical match by 1.6 percentage points.
The poll also showed Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp leading former Sen. David Perdue in the GOP gubernatorial primary by 43% to 32%.
Mr. Perdue has been endorsed by Mr. Trump, but “a majority (58%) of undecided Republican gubernatorial primary voters say Trump’s endorsement of Perdue has no impact on their vote,” said Spencer Kimball, Emerson College Polling executive director.
Mr. Kemp also leads Democratic primary frontrunner Stacey Abrams by 51% to 44% in a hypothetical rematch of his 2018 victory. Mr. Perdue runs similarly against Ms. Abrams, leading her in the poll by 49% to 44%.
“Abrams holds the majority of support in the general election among voters under 50, while Kemp and Perdue have a strong majority of voters over 50,” said Mr. Kimball. “Abrams’ chances in November depend in large part on whether or not these younger voters turn out.”
The Georgia primary is scheduled for May 24, with any needed runoffs (Georgia requires candidates to get a majority) on June 21.
The poll conducted April 1-3 with 1,013 registered Georgia voters has an error margin of 3 percentage points.
Hershel Walker surges in EVERY 2022 Georgia Senate poll:
— InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022) April 6, 2022
Jan 26- Quinnipiac Poll: Walker +1
Jan 27- AJC Poll: Walker +3
Feb 25- Wick Poll: Walker +1
March 8- Blueprint Poll: Walker +4
April 6- Emerson College Poll: Walker +4
2022 GA SENATE POLLING AVERAGE: WALKER +2.6% pic.twitter.com/ZdJngEmMJG
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.
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