Politics & Government
New Poll Shows GA Governor's Race Tied As Early Voting Ends
Stacey Abrams and Brian Kemp could be headed for a December runoff in Georgia's nationally watched governor's race.

ATLANTA, GA -- As early voting comes to an end Friday, a new poll shows the nation's most watched governor's race could be headed for a runoff next month. The new poll, conducted by Channel 2 and the AJC, shows Republican Brian Kemp and Democrat Stacey Abrams in a statistical tie at 46 percent, within the poll's 3-percentage-point margin of error. It's just the latest poll to show neither candidate is polling close enough to win an outright victory next Tuesday.
The poll was conducted by the University of Georgia’s School of Public and International Affairs. Libertarian Ted Metz is polling just above 1 percent, but five percent of voters say they remain undecided. If neither Kemp or Abrams wins the election on Nov. 6, there will be a Dec. 4 runoff.
Abrams is seeking to become nation's first African-American female governor in history, while Kemp, who is also Georgia's secretary of state, is aiming to maintain GOP control of the governor's office the party has enjoyed since 2002. Both are running to replace Gov. Nathan Deal, who cannot run for a third term.
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More than 1.5 million ballots have already been cast in a race that national Democrats hope will become a swing state, as the nation's midterm elections are widely being seen as a referendum on Trump's administration. Early voting throughout the state ends Friday, Nov. 2.
The race has attracted national dollars, celebrities and political figures. Over the campaign's final weekends, actor Will Ferrell, Oprah Winfrey and former president Barack Obama all campaigned for Abrams, while President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence rallied for Kemp.
Find out what's happening in Atlantafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
- Trump, Obama Coming To GA Before Historic Governor's Election
- Oprah Campaigning For Abrams In Marietta, Decatur On Thursday
See Also: Everything To Know About The Georgia 2018 Midterm Elections
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