Warnock leads Walker, but Georgia Senate race is unchanged after abortion payment claim, poll shows

The explosive allegation that anti-abortion GOP Senate hopeful Herschel Walker paid for an ex-girlfriend's termination has consumed his run implicit the past week — but truthful acold it hasn't fixed his hostile overmuch of a boost, a new poll showed Wednesday.

Walker's rival, Democratic incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia, inactive leads by 7 percent points, 52% to 45%, according to Quinnipiac University's latest canvass of apt voters successful Georgia.

That dispersed is virtually unchanged from past month, erstwhile the pollster recovered Warnock led Walker 52% to 46%.

In the interim, Walker's run has been rocked by a slew of incendiary accusations stemming from a Daily Beast report successful which an anonymous pistillate said helium had impregnated her and past paid for her to get an termination successful 2009.

Walker has denied the reports helium paid for the abortion, calling the assertion a "flat-out lie" and vowing to record a defamation suit, which helium has not done.

The woman, who remains publically unnamed, was aboriginal reported to beryllium the parent of 1 of the children that Walker confirmed from the run trail were his. A erstwhile shot star, entrepreneur and professional of absentee fathers, Walker antecedently had lone publically acknowledged 1 child, his big lad Christian Walker. As a Senate candidate, Walker has called for a total prohibition connected abortion, and helium recently said he has "always been for life."

The younger Walker lashed retired astatine his begetter aft The Daily Beast's communicative was published connected Oct. 3, calling him a liar successful a bid of aggravated societal media posts. Christian Walker besides accused his begetter of being violent, neglectful and unfaithful to his family.

The pistillate told The New York Times that Walker had wanted her to get different termination erstwhile she became large again successful 2011, but she refused and the narration ended soon after. The pistillate besides said that she had to property Walker to wage for the archetypal abortion, The Washington Post reported.

Walker had antecedently said helium did not cognize the woman's identity, but told ABC News connected Tuesday that helium present knows who she is. "She's lying," Walker told ABC of the woman's termination claims.

Republicans leaders, including erstwhile President Donald Trump, person rallied astir Walker, whose contention successful the cardinal plaything authorities could determine which enactment controls the U.S. Senate.

Warnock, meanwhile, has not spoken publically astir his opponent's termination scandal, adjacent arsenic outside groups nutrient ads highlighting the household drama.

Quinnipiac's latest canvass surveyed 1,157 apt Georgia voters betwixt past Friday and Monday, days aft the termination ungraded broke. The canvass carries a borderline of mistake of plus-or-minus 2.9 percent points.

The canvass showed Warnock has an above-water favorability rating, 50% to 44%, portion 39% person a favorable sentiment of Walker and 55% person an unfavorable presumption of him.

Respondents besides gave Walker mediocre marks connected a suite of idiosyncratic traits: 57% said helium is not honest, 58% said helium does not person bully enactment skills and 50% said that helium does not attraction astir mean Georgia residents.

"Despite repeated punishment flags flying astatine his honesty and integrity, Herschel Walker is down by 7 successful the 4th 4th and inactive has a changeable against incumbent Raphael Warnock successful Georgia's Senate race," Quinnipiac polling expert Tim Malloy said successful a property release.

Among Peach State Republicans, ostentation is by acold the apical issue: 73% of them ranked it their astir urgent concern, and nary different contented garnered treble digits, according to Quinnipiac. Democrats, meanwhile, ranked their apical contented arsenic abortion, followed by predetermination laws, weapon violence, wellness care, ostentation and radical inequality.

Inflation is besides by acold the apical contented for independents, 42% of whom enactment it first, the canvass showed.

The survey besides recovered Republican Gov. Brian Kemp successful a virtual necktie with Democratic challenger Stacey Abrams, 50% to 49%. A RealClearPolitics polling mean shows Kemp starring Abrams by a somewhat wider margin.