2022 Midterm Elections: What’s at stake in Georgia? Why have one million people already voted?

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger announced on Tuesday that the state had already received more than one million early votes for the midterm elections.

This number far exceeds the amount received at the same point four years ago and is close to that recorded during the 2020 presidential election. Last week the number of early ballots was up by 51% on 2018 and down by just 18% on the 2020 figure.

Georgia is home to two key battles in the 2022 midterms that could have huge consequences for the balance of power in Washington and the remainder of President Biden’s first term in office.

Warnock and Walker contest vital Senate seat

The Democrats currently control the Senate by the most slender of margins. The 100-seat chamber is split evenly between the two parties, but Vice President Kamala Harris’ tie-breaking vote gives the Democrats a majority if they can keep all members on side.

Biden was handed unified control in Washington when the Democrats won both Senate run-off races in 2021, but the seat claimed by Reverend Raphael Warnock last January is up for re-election once again.

Sen. Warnock faces Republican challenger Herschel Walker, a former NFL star with significant name recognition in the state. The race has been extremely high profile, with Walker’s campaign hindered by a number of very public scandals.

Walker, a vocal opponent of abortion, has been accused of paying for a former girlfriend to have an abortion. A Daily Beast report claimed to provide evidence of a check written by Walker and a get well soon card which is said to coincide with the date of the abortion.

New polling from Monmouth University suggests that Warnock has a five-point advantage currently, but his margin of victory is narrowing.

Stacey Abrams pushes for governor’s office

In 2018 Brian Kemp narrowly beat Stacey Abrams in the race to become Georgia State Governor, but after her key involvement in the presidential election Abrams is running again. She was credited with playing a key role in the two successful Democratic Senate campaigns and helped an estimated 800,000 Georgians register to vote.

Incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp has maintained a focus on job-building and the economy during his four years in office and has managed to avoid becoming too closely tied to the divisive Trump presidency. Over the summer the national focus has shifted more towards the economy and Kemp appears confident of his record.

In a recent op-ed in Fox News, Kemp wrote: “Georgia’s unemployment rate is at its lowest point in state history, more Georgians are in the workforce than ever before.”

Beyond the consequences for the state itself, a victory for Abrams would make her the first Black female governor of any state. However at this stage Kemp remains the favourite and recent polling experts FiveThirtyEight put the incumbent more than six points ahead.