Herschel Walker vs. Raphael Warnock Polls Predict Georgia Runoff Winner

Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock of Georgia enjoys a slight edge in two new polls with just days to go before a crucial Senate runoff election in the state against Republican candidate Herschel Walker.

The runoff will take place on December 6 and early voting has already begun after no candidate managed to win 50 percent of the vote in the November 8 midterm elections.

Most recent polls have pointed to another close result with just days until the race is to be decided, and newly published polls from Emerson College and SurveyUSA have reenforced that.

An Emerson College poll released on Thursday shows Warnock with a narrow lead over Walker. The senator enjoyed 51 percent support to the Republican's 49 percent—a two-point margin—while 4 percent were undecided.

That poll was conducted from November 28 to 30 among 888 likely voters. The survey was conducted for The Hill newspaper and WJBF in Augusta, Georgia, and the margin of error was plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.

A similar picture emerged in a SurveyUSA poll conducted for WXIA-TV in Atlanta from November 26 to 30 among 1,214 likely voters.

That survey found Warnock led with 50 percent to Walker's 46 percent and 4 percent of likely voters were undecided.

The poll also provided figures that included voters who were classified as "leaners" - undecided voters who told the pollster they were leaning toward one candidate or another.

With so-called leaners included, Warnock led with 50 percent support to Walker's 47 percent and 3 percent of likely voters undecided. The poll had a margin of error of plus of minus 3.6 percentage points for likely voters.

Newsweek has asked the Warnock and Walker campaigns for comment.

Earlier polls also pointed to a tight runoff race in the state that has long been considered deep red but which elected two Democratic senators in January 2021 and narrowly backed President Joe Biden in November 2020.

Walker led with 48 percent to Warnock's 47 percent in a Phillips Academy poll for Abbot Academy Fund, conducted from November 26 to 27, but a Frederick Polls survey from November 23 to 26 found the race as a dead heat, with both candidates at 50 percent.

The Republican candidate has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump, though the latter is not expected to make an appearance on the campaign trail in the closing days of the race.

Walker's campaign has been dogged by controversy and his tendency toward public gaffes, which former President Barack Obama appeared to mock in remarks on Thursday as he campaigned for Warnock in Atlanta.

Do you have a tip on a politics story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about the Georgia Senate runoff? Let us know via politics@newsweek.com.