Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams continues to face a challenge in her contest against her Republican opponent, incumbent Governor Brian Kemp, in Georgia's gubernatorial race a few days from Election Day.
A poll carried out by Remington Research Group between November 1 and November 2 showed that Kemp is ahead with 55 percent of support from likely general election voters compared to 41 percent of support for Abrams. Meanwhile, 3 percent of those surveyed said they haven't decided who they would vote for.
The poll included responses from 1,150 likely voters and had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.8 percent.
Both candidates are competing in a rematch of the 2018 gubernatorial election that saw Kemp narrowly defeat Abrams with 50.2 percent of the vote to her 48.8 percent.
Kemp faced his Democratic rival in a televised debate on Sunday that was hosted by WSB-TV Channel 2 in which they discussed inflation, abortion and crime, according to Georgia Public Broadcasting. The early voting period saw more than 1.6 million people cast their votes, GPB reported on Sunday.
Abrams' campaign has been focusing on abortion rights, Medicaid expansion, and a plan to spend Georgia's $6.6 billion surplus, among other issues, according to GPB. Meanwhile, Kemp's campaign is focused on plans that include tax relief and cracking down on crime.
During the Sunday debate, Abrams blamed Kemp for inflation and the high crime rate in the state.
"Under Brian Kemp's four years as governor, crime has gone up, six hospitals have closed, housing prices are skyrocketing and communities are in turmoil. [Georgians] are worried about their rights and they're worried about their futures," she said, according to the Savannah Morning News. "But I want to do better by you."
Meanwhile, Kemp defended the state's gun laws when Abrams argued that those laws paved the way for fatal shootings such as the one that happened last year at an Atlanta spa where six Asian women were killed.
"There are over 20 states that have passed constitutional carry, giving law-abiding citizens their legal right to protect and defend themselves and to legally carry," Kemp said, according to the Morning News. "When she's talking about all these other people, they're breaking the law."
What Other Polls Are Saying
Voter support for Kemp increased over the past month according to a Thursday poll by Monmouth University that showed that 44 percent of Georgia's registered voters back the Republican. This percentage has increased 10 points since September.
The poll showed that only 35 percent of respondents said they would vote for Abrams, whose figures were "basically unchanged from last month," according to the Monmouth University poll report.
Meanwhile, a Rasmussen Reports/Pulse Opinion Research poll conducted from October 23 to 24 found that Kemp has 51 percent of voter support compared to Abrams' 41 percent, while a Trafalgar Group poll conducted from October 21 to 23 showed Kemp defeating Abrams with 52 percent compared to her 45 percent.
Kemp is also ahead of Abrams in a FiveThirtyEight poll update on Friday, showing that he is leading with 51.6 percent compared to Abrams' 44 percent.
Newsweek reached out to Stacey Abrams' campaign and Governor Brian Kemp's office for comment.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Fatma Khaled is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in New York City. Her focus is reporting on U.S. politics, world ... Read more
