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Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., speaks on Capitol Hill on Dec. 7, 2021.
Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., speaks on Capitol Hill on Dec. 7, 2021.Carolyn Kaster / AP file

Warnock holds double-digit lead over Walker, new poll finds

Georgia Sen. Warnock jumps out to big lead while governor's race between Gov. Brian Kemp and Democrat Stacy Abrams is tied.

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A new Quinnipiac poll of Georgia shows incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., jumping out to a double-digit lead over Republican challenger Herschel Walker, while the race for governor remains a dead heat.

In the Senate contest, Warnock gets support from 54% of registered voters, while 44% back Walker. Warnock’s 10-point lead is outside the poll’s margin of error of plus-minus 2.5 percentage points. 

Back in January, Quinnipiac had the race Walker 49%, Warnock 48%. 

The poll — conducted June 23-27 — comes after a damaging month for Walker, with new revelations of the former football star’s multiple children outside of his marriage. 

In the matchup for governor, meanwhile, incumbent Republican Gov. Brian Kemp and Democratic challenger Stacey Abrams are tied at 48% each; in January, the poll had it Kemp 49%; Abrams 47%. 

A note of caution about these poll numbers, however: While Georgia’s polling in 2020 was — on the whole — more accurate than in other states, Quinnipiac did slightly underestimate GOP support in the state in its polling two years ago. 

Another warning sign for Democrats in the Quinnipiac poll: President Joe Biden’s approval rating in the state stands at 33%. (By contrast, Gov. Kemp has a net-positive job rating of 48% approve, 43% disapprove, while Warnock’s net approval is even higher, 49% approve, 39% disapprove.)

And the issue of inflation, the poll finds, is the top issue for Georgia voters — with 41% saying inflation is the most urgent issue facing the state, with 15% saying gun violence and with 10% saying abortion and election laws. 

The Quinnipiac poll of Georgia was conducted June 23-27 of 1,497 registered voters, and it has a margin of error of plus-minus 2.5 percentage points.