"Republican incumbents David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler hold nearly identical 51 percent to 48 percent advantages over Democratic challengers Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock," a press release explaining the poll results said.
Georgia scheduled a runoff vote on January 5 because neither of the state’s two incumbent senators, Perdue or Loeffler, were able to top the 50-percent threshold needed for an outright victory in the November 3 election.
A demographic breakdown for the Emerson College poll helps explain a political shift in Georgia, from a Republican stronghold to a state now up for grabs by either political party.
The Democratic base of support reportedly lies with the 18-29 voters, who are breaking for Warnock with 71 percent of the vote, and similarly for Ossoff with 70 percent of the vote. The race tightens among those 30-44, according to Emerson, in which Ossoff leads Perdue 50-47 percent, while Warnock and Loeffler each receive 49 percent, the release suggested.
A Republican advantage surfaces in the first group of older voters, ages 45-64, who backed Perdue in the poll by a 57-42-percent margin, while favoring Loeffler 58-42 percent. Seniors, age 65 and older, give Purdue a 59-41 percent advantage and Loeffler a 58-42 percent edge.
Democrats must win at least one of the two open seats to control the US Senate in the event of a 50-50 tie, which would then be decided by the vote of the US vice president, in this case Democrat Kamala Harris, as the US Constitution gives the roll of Senate tie-breaker to the #2 top spot in the US government.
