Ticket-splitters could play key role in battleground states

Ticket-splitters are poised to play a pivotal role in a handful of key battleground states, like Pennsylvania and Georgia, where signs are growing that voters may be willing to cross party lines for certain candidates. 

In Georgia, where voters will choose their next governor and U.S. senator next week, polling has routinely shown Gov. Brian Kemp leading his Democratic rival Stacey Abrams by distinct margins, while Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) has maintained a narrow edge over Herschel Walker, the Republican Senate nominee. 

A similar dynamic is playing out in Pennsylvania, where Democrat Josh Shapiro has opened up a sizable advantage over Republican Doug Mastriano in the race for governor. Meanwhile, in the state’s Senate race, Democrat John Fetterman has seen his once-yawning lead over Republican nominee Mehmet Oz evaporate, leaving the two candidates virtually deadlocked.

Taken together, the polls suggest that voters who cast their ballots for candidates of different parties could make the difference in some of the nation’s premier races, despite a decades-long decline in ticket-splitting and heightened political polarization.

“I think that the benefits of being hyperpartisan are starting to fall off,” said Keith Naughton, a veteran Republican strategist. “For both parties, it’s doing as much to drive their opponents’ turnout as it does their own. So it’s going to come down more to a more moderate, middle grouping of the public that’s willing to split their votes.”