Poll says Georgia gubernatorial race is too close to call

(The Center Square) — It’s been a hot start to Georgia’s summer and the Peach State’s gubernatorial race is a dead heat.

A new Quinnipiac University Poll found that 48% of voters support incumbent Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, while an equal number of voters support Democratic challenger Stacey Abrams.

Interestingly, voters gave Kemp a 48% approval rating and 43% disapproval. That is up from January when 42% approved of Kemp’s job performance to 49% who did not.

"With both candidates getting positive numbers on honesty, empathy and leadership, Kemp and Abrams are in a Governor’s race too close to call," Quinnipiac University Polling Analyst Tim Malloy said in an analysis.

The poll also shows incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock with a 54% to 44% lead over Republican challenger Herschel Walker, a political newcomer and former University of Georgia football standout.

"Herschel Walker fumbles on honesty and tumbles on favorability as Raphael Warnock surges ahead in the race for senator," Malloy added.

When it comes to the issues, Georgia voters identified inflation (41%), gun violence (15%), abortion (10%) and election laws (10%) as the top concerns.

"Despite the public’s sorrow and outrage over guns and abortion, inflation, a phenomenon that can affect virtually every Georgian, is most concerning," Malloy said.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger used the primary election turnout as a talking point to prove Georgia’s new election law, Senate Bill 202, the Election Integrity Act, worked. Organizations, including the ACLU of Georgia, have criticized the new law, but a Raffensperger spokesman has repeatedly refused to comment on the complaints.

The Quinnipiac poll found nearly half of voters, 49%, plan to vote in person during the early voting period. Meanwhile, about a third, 34%, said they plan to cast their ballots in person on Election Day, while 12% plan to vote early by mail or absentee ballot.

On the national level, 33% approved of President Joe Biden’s job performance, while 60% disapproved.

The Quinnipiac poll surveyed 1,497 Georgia registered voters from June 23-27.