GOP Gov. Brian Kemp, Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock leading in nationally watched races

ATLANTA, Ga. (CBS46) - Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock are leading in two of the nation’s most watched elections this fall, according to a new poll by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution with the University of Georgia.

Kemp is leading his Democratic gubernatorial challenger, Stacey Abrams, by a margin of 48.1% to 43.1%, according to the poll, which was conducted July 14-22 among 902 likely voters. Seven percent of likely voters haven’t made up their minds.

Warnock, a Democrat who is seeking election to his first full Senate term, leads GOP challenger Herschel Walker, 46.1% to 42.5%.

In the race to replace Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, a Republican who is not running for re-election, the GOP’s Burt Jones leads Democrat Charlie Bailey, 40.8% to 36.4%.

The poll has a margin of error of 3.3 percentage points, meaning these three races fall within the statistical margin of error.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger holds a solid lead over his Democratic challenger, Bee Nguyen, by a 46.3% to 32.1% margin.

Warnock has consistently led Walker in several polls conducted this summer in a race that could affect Washington, D.C.’s balance of political power. A poll conducted earlier this month by AARP Georgia showed Warnock with a 50% to 47% lead over Walker. The former UGA football legend, however, held a lead (52% to 46%) among voters 50 and older.

A Quinnipiac poll released in late June also showed Warnock with a solid lead over Walker, 54% to 44%. That same poll, however, showed Kemp and Abrams in a dead heat at 48% each.

Kemp led Abrams in the AARP Georgia poll, by a margin of 52% to 45%, with a larger advantage (56% to 41%) among voters age 50 and older.

RELATED: What to expect in Kemp vs. Abrams, round two

The AJC poll also showed President Joe Biden has a poor approval rating in Georgia, which could become a factor in this fall’s midterms. Overall, 50.3% “strongly disapprove” of Biden’s performance, while 14.2% “strongly approve.”

The poll also asked, “If the election were today, would you want to see the Republican or Democratic party win control of Congress?” Republicans lead that poll by a 46.4% to 41.2% margin over Democrats.

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