Political Rewind: Georgia Faculty, Students Protest Campus COVID Policy; New Polling On Key Races

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Staff and faculty at Georgia State University participate in a "die-in" protest Sept. 9, 2021, demanding more COVID-19 safety measures on campus.

Credit: Amanda Andrews, GPB News

Tuesday on Political Rewind: Students, faculty and staff on 20 Georgia public college campuses are protesting to demand stronger COVID-19 protections. Demonstrators say the Board of Regents’ refusal to require masks on campus is endangering the health of workers and students on Georgia college campuses.

Acting Chancellor Teresa MacCartney has defended the state’s mask-optional policy, claiming that mandates cause divisions on campuses.

Also, a new poll of Georgia GOP voters shows Herschel Walker with a commanding lead in the race to find a Republican opponent for incumbent U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock. The poll gives Walker a lead of almost 70 points against his closest rival, Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black. Can anything stop the former football star from winning the nomination?

In other polling news, Atlanta mayoral candidates Felicia Moore and Kasim Reed are in a virtual dead heat in a poll conducted for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. However, a plurality of Atlanta voters say they remain undecided less than three months until the election.

Panelists:

Margaret Coker — Editor-in-Chief, The Current

Riley Bunch — Public policy reporter, Georgia Public Broadcasting

Tamar Hallerman — Senior reporter, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Tia Mitchell — Washington reporter, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution