New polling in the highly contested Georgia Senate runoffs shows both Republican incumbents with an edge.
What’s more, the new Emerson College Polling survey shows very little “crossover” voting by partisans, suggesting that voters are locked in to their choices.
Both Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler lead their opponents Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock 51%-48%. That 3-point margin is within the margin of error in the poll.
But it suggests that as the race tightens, the GOP still has an edge.
And when combined with little movement by voters, it is a good sign for the Republicans and their hopes to maintain control of the U.S. Senate, which will be determined by Jan. 5.
According to the poll analysis, “Spencer Kimball, Director of Emerson College Polling, concludes that ‘the data revealed there is little crossover support, which suggests one party should win both seats.’”
Both sides have poured millions of dollars and hundreds of hours into the contests. Vice President Mike Pence has worked overtime in the state, and President Trump also campaigned for Perdue and Loeffler.
As with the national election, younger voters in the Emerson survey trend Democratic, while older prefer the Republicans.
Also, early voting intentions are split, while voting day intentions are all GOP. Said the analysis, “Those planning on voting early are split, with Perdue and Ossoff each receiving 49%. In the other contested election, Warnock is at 50% with Loeffler at 49%. Sixty-one percent (61%) of those who have already voted break for Ossoff and Warnock, with 39% supporting the Republican candidates. Election day voters are breaking for the Republicans, with 68% support for Perdue and 70% for Loeffler.”
Last week, Republican Indiana Sen. Todd Young, chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, was upbeat about keeping up with Democrats in absentee voting, typically something the party lags on. “The initial signs are very positive,” said Young of the races of Perdue and Loeffler.
