Senate Rumors and a Poll Finding Republicans Struggling Against Warnock
Politico Playbook should be required reading for anyone wanting to keep tabs on national politics. (Huddle is also really good, and it’s one I rely on more considering that it covers Congress.) This morning’s edition had a couple of interesting developments out of Washington, DC.
The first development is, according to CNN, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is concerned about Herschel Walker’s potential candidacy and worried about finding a viable opponent in the Senate race. So much so that McConnell has floated the idea that former Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler should consider running. Perdue has said he’s not running. Who knows what Loeffler is doing, but Politico notes, “[n]ot all Republicans want Loeffler; some see her as damaged goods,” comparing her to former Sen. Martha McSally, who was appointed by Gov. Doug Ducey in Arizona two times to serve in the Senate and lost both races to keep the seat. (Admittedly, I’ve not a Loeffler fan, but I’ve heard the same thing in DC.) Loeffler was appointed once, but she’s seen as damaged.
McConnell is also meeting with Latham Sadler, the former Trump White House staffer, about his candidacy. Sadler did have an impressive fundraising haul in the second quarter, bringing in $1.4 million in contributions, two-thirds of which came from contributors in Georgia. He currently has $1 million in the bank.
The other development is a new poll from Public Policy Polling. Now, this particular firm has ties to Democrats, but it is among the higher-rated pollsters, according to FiveThirtyEight. Obviously, take polling with a grain, especially this far out from November 2022, but don’t say it’s necessarily biased. The poll shows that Sen. Raphael Warnock has leads over Walker (48/46), Loeffler (47/44), and Gary Black (46/38). Walker is viewed favorably overall but may change as voters learn more about him. Loeffler’s is viewed unfavorably by 47 percent of voters. Black’s numbers are due to voters not being familiar with him. Warnock has a 43/42 approval rating compared to President Biden’s 46/48 approval rating.
Is Rep. Buddy Carter paying attention to this? One has to wonder what he plans to do since Walker can’t seem to make up his mind and Loeffler is so damaged.
