In Georgia’s key Senate race, Republican football star Herschel Walker appears to be overcoming his gaffes and scandals to edge out a narrow lead over the Democratic incumbent, Senator Warnock.

A new poll by InsiderAdvantage and FOX 5 shows Mr. Walker leading Mr. Warnock by three points, 48 percent to 45 percent, within the poll’s 4.2 percent margin of error. The Libertarian candidate, Chase Oliver, trails at a distant third with two percent.

The poll comes as political handicappers are divided on who leads in the state. FiveThirtyEight’s average of polling shows Mr. Warnock leading with 46.7 percent to Mr. Walker’s 45.5 percent. RealClearPolitics shows Mr. Walker leading 47.6 percent to 46 percent.

Crucially, polling consistently shows that neither candidate will likely carry an outright majority of the vote, meaning the Senate election in Georgia is likely to go to a runoff.

In the runoff, the libertarian candidate would be eliminated and Messers Walker and Warnock would face off in a December 6 competition that could decide the fate of the Senate, similar to the Georgia 2021 runoff elections.

In 2020, Democrats swept the highly nationalized Georgia Senate runoffs, delivering them control of an evenly split Senate. If Republicans manage to secure 50 seats in the Senate on election day, a Georgia runoff would once again decide control of the Senate.

Mr. Walker’s advances come in spite of mounting allegations of hypocrisy against Mr. Walker because of his support for an abortion ban. His candidacy has also been dogged by stories from his past ranging from claims he was an FBI agent to allegations of domestic abuse.

Wednesday, a woman came forward accusing Mr. Walker of pressuring her to get an abortion after she became pregnant during her relationship with Mr. Walker. 

The allegation came weeks after another woman reported that Mr. Walker had paid for an abortion for her in 2009 and had pressued her to get another abortion in 2011.

Mr. Walker has dismissed the allegations as false attacks by Democrats attempting to win the election. He claimed that he didn’t know the first woman. 

However, it was later disclosed the first woman who stepped forward was also the mother of one of Mr. Walker’s children. Mr. Walker admitted to having given her a $700 in a check, but denies knowing it was for an abortion.

These are also only the latest allegations against Mr. Walker. Mr. Walker’s ex-wife recounted a scene where Mr. Walker pointed a gun at her head and threatened to kill her earlier this year.