Warnock leads Walker, but Georgia Senate race is unchanged after abortion payment allegation, poll shows

The explosive allegation that anti-abortion GOP Senate hopeful Herschel Walker paid for an ex-girlfriend’s abortion has consumed his marketing campaign over the past week — however to this point it hasn’t given his opponent a lot of a lift, a brand new ballot confirmed Wednesday.

Walker’s rival, Democratic incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia, nonetheless leads by seven share factors, 52% to 45%, in accordance with Quinnipiac College’s newest ballot of probably voters in Georgia.

That unfold is nearly unchanged from final month, when the pollster discovered Warnock led Walker 52% to 46%.

Within the interim, Walker’s marketing campaign has been rocked by a slew of incendiary accusations stemming from a Every day Beast report by which an nameless lady mentioned he had impregnated her after which paid for her to get an abortion in 2009.

Walker has denied the experiences he paid for the abortion, calling the declare a “flat-out lie” and vowing to file a defamation go well with, which he has not achieved.

The girl, who stays publicly unnamed, was later reported to be the mom of one of many youngsters that Walker confirmed from the marketing campaign path have been his. A former soccer star, entrepreneur and critic of absentee fathers, Walker beforehand had solely publicly acknowledged one baby, his grownup son Christian Walker. As a Senate candidate, Walker has known as for a complete ban on abortion, and he lately said he has “all the time been for all times.”

The youthful Walker lashed out at his father after The Every day Beast’s story was printed on Oct. 3, calling him a liar in a sequence of indignant social media posts. Christian Walker additionally accused his father of being violent, neglectful and untrue to his household.

The girl instructed The New York Instances that Walker had needed her to get one other abortion when she grew to become pregnant once more in 2011, however she refused and the connection ended quickly after. The girl additionally mentioned that she needed to press Walker to pay for the primary abortion, The Washington Put up reported.

Walker had beforehand mentioned he didn’t know the girl’s id, however instructed ABC Information on Tuesday that he now is aware of who she is. “She’s mendacity,” Walker instructed ABC of the girl’s abortion claims.

Republicans leaders, together with former President Donald Trump, have rallied round Walker, whose race in the important thing swing state may resolve which occasion controls the U.S. Senate.

Warnock, in the meantime, has not spoken publicly about his opponent’s abortion scandal, at the same time as outdoors teams produce adverts highlighting the household drama.

Quinnipiac’s newest ballot surveyed 1,157 probably Georgia voters between final Friday and Monday, days after the abortion scandal broke. The ballot carries a margin of error of plus-or-minus 2.9 share factors.

The ballot confirmed Warnock has an above-water favorability ranking, 50% to 44%, whereas 39% have a good opinion of Walker and 55% have an unfavorable view of him.

Respondents additionally gave Walker poor marks on a set of private traits: 57% mentioned he isn’t trustworthy, 58% mentioned he doesn’t have good management abilities and 50% mentioned that he doesn’t care about common Georgia residents.

“Regardless of repeated penalty flags flying at his honesty and integrity, Herschel Walker is down by seven within the 4th quarter and nonetheless has a shot in opposition to incumbent Raphael Warnock in Georgia’s Senate race,” Quinnipiac polling analyst Tim Malloy mentioned in a press launch.

Amongst Peach State Republicans, inflation is by far the highest problem: 73% of them ranked it their most pressing concern, and no different problem garnered double digits, in accordance with Quinnipiac. Democrats, in the meantime, ranked their high problem as abortion, adopted by election legal guidelines, gun violence, well being care, inflation and racial inequality.

Inflation can be by far the highest problem for independents, 42% of whom put it first, the ballot confirmed.

The survey additionally discovered Republican Gov. Brian Kemp in a digital tie with Democratic challenger Stacey Abrams, 50% to 49%. A RealClearPolitics polling common reveals Kemp main Abrams by a barely wider margin.