Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler was behind Democratic challenger Raphael Warnock in the latest poll for next month’s second round, while the race between Senator David Perdue and Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff for the second seat remains on the razor’s edge.
A joint survey by InsiderAdvantage and FOX 5 Atlanta released on Wednesday shows that the current Loeffler is now behind Warnock by two points, although four percent of respondents say they remain undecided.
Loeffler is supported by 47% of respondents, while Warnock is supported by 49%.
In the second run of the state, Perdue had a one percent advantage over Ossoff in the InsiderAdvantage / FOX 5 Atlanta poll. Perdue has the support of 49% of those interviewed, against Ossoff with 48%. Four percent of respondents said they remain undecided.
Both Warnock and Perdue are within 4.4% of the survey. Both races look like they will be extremely hot, with only 13 days to go before election day on January 5.
The eyes of the country and the world are on Georgia. The two second rounds will decide which party will control the Senate for the next four years. If Democrats reversed both seats, they would control a 50-50 Senate with Vice President Kamala Harris breaking off relations.
The party would control both chambers and the White House, giving President-elect Joe Biden the power to present his platform with minimal republican interference.
But if the Republican Party has one or both of Georgia’s seats, the party is likely to frustrate many of Biden’s efforts and force a more cooperative approach. Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell will have the option to block the new administration and block progress on policies, cabinet choices and court appointments, as he did under President Barack Obama.
InsiderAdvantage chairman Matt Towery said the two Democratic candidates are currently winning among independent voters, with Perdue and Loeffler winning over voters aged 65 and over.
“Both Perdue and Loeffler saw a decline in their level of African American support last week,” said Towery. “This is something I would totally anticipate, as Republican support among African Americans generally begins to stabilize in the final weeks of a political dispute.”
Loeffler’s attack ads have recently shifted to the right, portraying black pastor Warnock as a far-left extremist who wants to strip the police. Warnock is supported by groups that want to strip the police, but have consistently been against the controversial idea. Instead, the pastor advocated reform to address concerns about police racism and militarization.
Towery said that strategy could backfire in Loeffler, in the vital suburbs of Atlanta, which dominate the state’s vote.
“Perdue’s support among white voters has increased slightly since our last poll, while Loeffler’s support has decreased over the same period,” said Towery. “Ads in support of Loeffler that focused on Warnock’s earlier statements appear to have diminishing returns and may not be having the intended impact on undecided voters in the Atlanta suburbs.”
Regardless, both races are expected to be highly contested. Warnock led the November poll with 33% of the vote, ahead of Loeffler with 26%. If the votes of the other 18 Democratic and Republican candidates follow party lines, both Warnock and Loeffler will get about 49%. The remaining votes were split between libertarian, green and independent voters.
Ossoff came close to toppling Perdue in November. The incumbent won 49.7 percent of the vote – just below the threshold for an absolute victory. Ossoff won 40 percent of the vote, with the rest going to a Libertarian party candidate who will not be at the polls next month.
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