A split-ticket trend surfaces as early returns roll in

One of the biggest questions in Georgia politics is whether voters would split their tickets and cross party lines at the top of the ticket. So far, early returns suggest a small but significant portion of voters is doing just that.

Gov. Brian Kemp was tallying about 4 percentage points higher support than Republican Senate hopeful Herschel Walker. U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock was outdoing Stacey Abrams, the Democratic candidate for governor, by about 3 points.

It’s early and millions of ballots are still to be counted. But strategists from both parties are keenly watching to see if this trend holds, as it could be the difference between a Senate runoff and an outright win.