POLL: Warnock, Ossoff Close Gap on Republicans after Stimulus Bill Holdup
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Democratic candidates Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff overtook their Republican opponents in Georgia in a new poll by Trafalgar Group, conducted after the passage of the latest coronavirus relief bill was delayed.
Voters in the Georgia runoff elections will decide whether Republicans retain control of the Senate. If both Warnock and Ossoff win the runoffs, the Senate will be tied 50-50 with incoming vice president Kamala Harris as the tie-breaking vote.
Ossoff leads incumbent Senator David Perdue 50.4 to 47.7 percentage points, according to the poll taken on December 27. Almost two percent of respondents said they were undecided in the race. Warnock narrowly pulled ahead of Senator Kelly Loeffler in the poll, with respondents favoring Warnock 47.1 to 46.8 points and 1.6 percent undecided.
The poll has a 2.99 percent margin of error, meaning that the candidates in each race are in a virtual tie.
The same survey taken on December 18 showed Perdue with a 2.7 point lead over Ossoff and Loeffler with a 6.7 point lead over Warnock.
The polling swing came after President Trump slammed the coronavirus relief bill negotiated by House and Senate leadership, which provides relief for businesses as well as $600 checks to most Americans. Trump called for Congress to eliminate “wasteful” items in the government funding legislation, which was attached to COVID relief, and to raise the value of the stimulus checks to $2,000.
House Democrats and a number of Republicans passed legislation on Monday to increase the checks, and the Senate is currently debating the initiative. Senate Republicans have generally been wary of a high price tag for the latest round of coronavirus relief, however some in the GOP caucus have backed higher checks, including Senators Josh Hawley of Missouri and Marco Rubio of Florida.
