According to a poll released on Tuesday by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the University of Georgia, Stacey Abrams has lost ground in the campaign for governor of Georgia against Republican Gov. Brian Kemp.
The survey puts Kemp in the lead with 50.2%, while Abrams is eight points behind at 42.2%. After announcing his initiatives to tackle inflation and boost education, Kemp takes his lead.
Even though the AJC-University of Georgia survey has been viewed as a leading indicator of the state’s elections since January, Abrams has continuously been behind Kemp, who was already five points down in a July poll conducted by the same two organizations.
Abrams has been seen by many in the Democratic Party as a rising star since she initially ran for governor in 2018. She narrowly defeated Kemp by 1.5%, marking it the state’s tightest statewide election since 1966.
This year, Kemp has maintained a continuous lead in all significant surveys; according to RealClearPolitics’ polling average, he is 6.6% ahead of Abrams and has received more than 50% of the vote. Abrams might lose by up to 11% in the Marist College poll, which ABC News’ FiveThirtyEight polling tracker grades as “A,” making it a “landslide loss.”
Given her race, many believe that Abrams, a black woman and previous minority leader in the Georgia House of Reps, represents the “future of the party.” Oprah Winfrey, a prominent supporter of Abrams in 2018, remarked during a rally supporting her that “if you’re woke just a little bit, you understand that everyone isn’t treated equally” The underserved will receive aid from Abrams.
After Joe Biden officially stated during the 2020 presidential election that he would select a woman as his running mate, Abrams’ name was widely rumored as a potential vice presidential option for the Democratic ticket. Although Abrams was passed up in favor of then-Sen. Kamala Harris of California, Biden is credited with winning the state of Georgia by mobilizing black voters, who are the electorate’s fastest-growing constituency.
The enthusiasm for Abrams’ campaign would be shattered if she suffered a second defeat in the contest for governor. In the meanwhile, Kemp has run for re-election despite Donald Trump’s opposition to his candidacy. Trump is against Kemp because he has refused to change Georgia’s electoral college votes for the 2020 election.
Between September 5 and September 16, 861 likely Georgia voters were questioned for the AJC-University of Georgia poll, which had a +/- 3.3% error margin.
