Warnock, Walker likely will face runoff for U.S. Senate seat  

Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock (left) and challenger Republican Herschel Walker (right)

ATLANTA –  Republican U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker pushed incumbent Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock to a likely runoff for a key Senate seat Tuesday after both candidates appeared to fall short of earning more than 50% of the vote. 

Walker had amassed 48.5% of the vote as of 10:45 a.m. Wednesday, with Warnock drawing 49.4%, with 97% of precincts reporting, according to the Georgia secretary of state’s website. Libertarian Chase Oliver’s 2% of the vote was a distant third but enough to potentially put the two major-party candidates into a Dec. 6 runoff.

“We always knew this race would be close,” Warnock told supporters gathered at a downtown Atlanta hotel late Tuesday night. “Y’all just hang in there.”

“I don’t come to lose,” Walker told his supporters, who had gathered near Truist Park in Cobb County. “He’s going to be tough to beat … just hang in there a little bit longer.”

The two candidates both have deep roots in Georgia but differed sharply on the economy, abortion and gun rights on the campaign trail this fall.

Challenger Walker sought to identify Warnock with President Joe Biden and blame the Democrats for inflation. In contrast, Warnock touted the steps he has taken as a senator to reduce the effects of inflation on Georgians, such as instituting monthly caps on insulin prices and supporting college student loan debt relief.  

Walker opposes most gun control measures as unconstitutional and contended that the government should stay out of health care. Warnock, in contrast, strongly supports Medicaid expansion in Georgia and voted for a gun-control bill passed by Congress in the wake of the Uvalde, Texas, shootings. 

Though Walker initially indicated he opposes all abortions, during an October debate, he said he supports Georgia’s law that bans most abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy. In contrast, Warnock said that he believes abortion is a private medical decision between patient and doctor and he believes women should have the right to choose an abortion.   

Despite Walker’s pro-life stance, two ex-girlfriends alleged he paid for their abortions, though Walker has denied these claims. Walker’s son also publicly criticized his father on social media. 

But Warnock also faced an allegation that he ran over his ex-wife’s foot during an argument, which he has denied.  

Ads for both candidates flooded Georgia airwaves and digital outlets. Warnock raised more than $100 million against Walker’s $37.7 million. But money appears to have made little difference in the outcome of the race, since neither candidate earned enough votes to prevent a runoff.

This will be the second time Warnock must win a runoff for the Senate seat. He first won his seat in a 2021 runoff that also drew national attention and dollars.  

This story is available through a news partnership with Capitol Beat News Service, a project of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation.

Warnock clobbering Walker in fundraising as Election Day nears

Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock (left) is being challenged by Republican Herschel Walker.

ATLANTA – U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock has raised more than $100 million toward his reelection bid, according to the final campaign finance report the Democrat will file before Election Day next week.

The $101.7 million Warnock raised through Oct. 19 dwarfs the $37.7 million in the campaign war chest of Republican challenger Herschel Walker – no slouch himself when it comes to fundraising – and put the Georgia Senate campaign on a path toward becoming the nation’s most expensive of the 2022 election cycle.

Warnock also outpaced Walker in 11th-hour fundraising. The incumbent’s campaign brought in almost $12.2 million just between Oct. 1 and Oct. 19, according to a report Warnock submitted to the Federal Election Commission.

The Walker campaign took in nearly $5.9 million in contributions during roughly the same three weeks.

Both candidates have spent profusely in recent months, as is obvious to any television viewer from the withering barrage of political ads they’ve aired.

But they still have plenty of money to spend for the stretch drive toward the Nov. 8 election.

Warnock’s campaign reported almost $10.5 million in cash on hand as of Oct. 19, compared to $5.4 million for Walker.

While Warnock has drubbed Walker in the battle for bucks, he hasn’t been able to put much – if any – distance between himself and the challenger. Recent polls have the two in a dead heat, with a strong possibility they could be forced into a Dec. 6 runoff to decide the winner.

This story is available through a news partnership with Capitol Beat News Service, a project of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation.

Walker, Warnock make history in run for U.S. Senate seat

ATLANTA – Georgia voters are being asked to choose between two nationally prominent Black men with deep ties to the state when they vote in a U.S. Senate race that could determine the balance of power in Washington. 

Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican challenger Herschel Walker are both deeply Christian and both well known nationwide as well as in Georgia. 

Warnock holds the pulpit at Atlanta’s historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, the former church of Martin Luther King Jr. He shot to national prominence when he won Georgia’s Senate seat in a run-off early last year, tipping the balance of power on Capitol Hill to the Democrats. 

Walker is one of the most storied University of Georgia football players of all time. After leaving UGA, he went on to play professional football for several teams, including a United States Football League team owned by Donald Trump. The former president endorsed Walker’s run for Georgia’s Senate seat. 

Both candidates frequently rely on quotes from the Bible and Christian theology during their speeches to Georgia voters but differ widely on policy issues including abortion, gun control, health care, and the economy.

Warnock is a staunch supporter of a woman’s right to choose.

“A patient’s room is too narrow and small and cramped a space for a woman, her doctor and the United States government as we are witnessing right now,” Warnock has said repeatedly at campaign events this fall. “I trust women more than I trust politicians.”

In contrast, Walker is an opponent of abortion. In the past, Walker has indicated he opposes all abortions, with no exceptions for the life of the mother or in the case of rape or incest.

However, during a recent debate, Walker said he supports Georgia’s “heartbeat law,” which bans most abortions after about six weeks but includes exceptions for rape and incest. 

Walker has denied recent media reports that he paid for an ex-girlfriend’s abortion and encouraged her to have a second abortion. 

“That was a lie, and I’m not backing down,” Walker said during the recent debate.  

“I’m a Christian. I believe in life. … I’ll be a senator that protects life,” he added.

Walker has sought to tie Warnock to President Joe Biden and blame current inflation on the Democratic duo. 

“You have to blame this administration and Senator Warnock because within two years, this inflation has gotten worse,” Walker said. “They cut our energy independence. They also raised taxes. And at the same time, they [are] reckless[ly] spending all our money.” 

Walker said he would address inflation by increasing American energy independence. 

“We got to become energy independent again,” Walker said. “We’re going to our enemies to ask for gas and oil. That puts us not just in an inflation problem, but it puts us in a national security problem.” 

And Walker said he would not cut military spending because the U.S. needs to maintain its military readiness. 

Warnock, in contrast, blamed inflation on corporate greed. 

“A lot of our corporate actors are seeing record profits in the oil and gas industry and the pharmaceutical industry,” Warnock said. “People deserve to participate in the prosperity that they’re creating for others. They deserve a livable wage, and they deserve benefits.” 

Warnock successfully lobbied to get a $35 monthly cap on insulin for Medicare beneficiaries into the recently passed Inflation Reduction Act. He also supported a cap on prescription drug costs for Americans on Medicare.

Warnock is a strong proponent of Medicaid expansion in Georgia. He wrote legislation to provide a federal workaround to allow Georgia and other non-Medicaid-expansion states to provide health coverage to uninsured people. The workaround failed to gain traction in Congress amid Republican opposition.

Walker recently said he agrees with Warnock that insulin prices should be capped but that the country must also address the larger problem of inflation. 

“I believe in reducing insulin, but at the same time you got to eat right,” Walker said. “So you have to get food prices down and get gas down.”

Warnock has been a proponent of college student loan debt relief. He has called on Biden to take action to forgive some student loan debt, which Biden did earlier this fall. 

Warnock frequently tells audiences that federal programs such as Head Start and student loans allowed him to get a good education despite being one of 12 children in a family where money was tight. He says still more loan relief is needed.  

Walker, on the other hand, has criticized the loan-relief measure.  

“I talked to people, some people that wanted to go to college but they couldn’t,” he said. “This is not right. It’s unfair.” 

Walker suggested stopping federal funding to colleges that raise their costs. 

Warnock supported a gun-control bill passed by Congress in the wake of the Uvalde, Texas, shootings. The new law imposes tougher background checks for people under age 21 who want to buy guns.

Walker opposes most gun control measures as unconstitutional.    

“Any law or bill passed that affects anyone’s Second Amendment, I’m not going to stand for,” Walker said. 

Walker also blamed Warnock for a rise in crime and the flooding of fentanyl into American streets, saying the country should ensure the southern border is tightly controlled.

Walker also has said he is a law enforcement officer. During a recent debate, he doubled down on those claims, pulling out a badge to show the audience and saying, “I work with many police officers.” 

Both candidates face liabilities with voters due to unsavory aspects of their past personal lives. 

One attack ad shows Walker’s ex-wife describing how Walker held a gun to her head. 

Walker has said the altercations with his ex-wife occurred while he was in the throes of mental illness. He has recently told Georgia voters he is in good health and ready to represent them in the Senate. 

“I continue to get help if I need help, but I don’t need any help [now]. I’m doing well,” Walker said. 

Another attack ad features the words of Walker’s son, Christian,  a Republican activist who lashed out at his father following a media report alleging Walker paid for a former girlfriend’s abortion. 

Walker has denied the abortion allegations.

An ad targeting Warnock shows bodycam footage of Warnock’s ex-wife during a domestic violence altercation in March 2020. She is shown in tears accusing Warnock of running over her foot with his car.

A police report found no evidence that Warnock had run over his ex-wife’s foot. Warnock emphasized that he is an involved and supportive father to his two children during a recent debate.

Both races have attracted national attention and dollars. A recent Capitol Beat/Georgia News Collaborative Poll found that the race is essentially tied.

This story is available through a news partnership with Capitol Beat News Service, a project of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation.

Dooley endorses Walker in campaign ad

Vince Dooley (Photo credit: Athens Banner Herald)

ATLANTA – Herschel Walker’s football coach is going to bat for the former University of Georgia standout’s U.S. Senate campaign.

Former University of Georgia football Coach and Athletic Director Vince Dooley endorsed Walker Thursday in a campaign ad released by the Republican’s campaign.

Dooley alludes to a campaign theme Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock has been repeating often: that Walker isn’t qualified to represent Georgia in Congress.

“Herschel has always been challenged about doing things that people thought he wasn’t capable of doing,” Dooley says in the ad. “Falls sometimes along the way. But he gets back up, and with his incredible drive, determination, and self-discipline, he has achieved mighty things.”

The ad goes on to show footage of running back Walker battering opposing defenses while leading the Dawgs to the national championship in 1980 and winning the Heisman Trophy two years later.

Dooley, who recently turned 90, coached UGA football from 1964 through 1988, then served as the school’s athletic director from 1979 to 2004.

This story is available through a news partnership with Capitol Beat News Service, a project of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation.

Walker, Warnock trade personal jabs in sole Senate debate before election

ATLANTA – U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., and Republican challenger Herschel Walker traded policy positions and took jabs at each other’s personal histories Friday night during what likely will be their sole debate before Georgia voters decide who to send to Washington. 

Recent allegations that former University of Georgia football star Walker paid for an ex-girlfriend’s abortion despite his public pro-life stance put questions of character and reputation center stage. 

Walker is seeking to unseat Warnock, the pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. The race has drawn national attention – and dollars – because its outcome could determine the party balance of the currently 50-50 Senate. 

Warnock repeatedly criticized Walker’s honesty.

“My opponent has a problem with the truth,” he said. 

Walker tied Warnock to President Joe Biden over and over, blaming inflation and a host of other problems on the Democratic duo. 

“You have to blame this administration and Senator Warnock because within two years, this inflation has gotten worse,” Walker said. “They cut out energy independence. They also raised taxes.” 

Walker said he would focus on boosting U.S. energy independence to address inflation. 

Warnock rebutted the claim that he had raised taxes, pointing to his support for the Child Tax Credit and his work to include caps on the costs of  prescription drugs and insulin in the Inflation Reduction Act recently passed by Congress. 

Warnock also praised Biden’s recent decision to forgive some student loan debt and said more help is needed. Walker called the loan forgiveness “unfair” and said people should not have to pay for someone else’s loan. 

“That was a lie and I’m not backing down,” Walker said when asked about the recent allegations that he paid for an ex-girlfriend’s abortion.

Walker added that he supported Georgia’s heartbeat law, which bans most abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy, but evaded answering a question about whether he would support a nationwide total ban on abortions. 

Warnock grounded his pro-choice stance in his belief in women’s privacy and theology. 

“A patient’s room is too narrow and small and cramped a space for a woman, her doctor and the United States government,” Warnock said. “I’m a man of faith and I have a profound reverence for life and a deep respect for choice.” 

Georgia should also expand Medicaid, Warnock said. Doing so would save the state money and help people access health care, he said. 

“Georgia needs a senator who believes like I do that health care is a human right,” he said. 

“What I want you to do is get off the government health care,” Walker shot back. “That’s what I’m trying to do, to make you independent rather than dependent.”

On crime, Warnock pointed to his support for increased funding and resources for local law enforcement departments. And he said he is pleased about a new gun safety law Congress passed in June. 

In contrast, Walker emphasized his strong support for the Second Amendment right to bear arms and painted Warnock as soft on crime. 

“He’s empowered criminals to think they’re better than the police, and he believes in no-cash bail and releasing prisoners,” Walker said. “He don’t protect the border. Fentanyl is coming into this country and also Atlanta.”

The debate took an unusual turn when Warnock criticized Walker’s claims to have worked for the FBI and other law enforcement departments in the past. 

“I’ve never pretended to be a police officer, and I have never threatened a shootout with the police,” Warnock said, referring to an incident when Walker allegedly threatened his ex-wife with a gun. 

In response, Walker pulled out a badge that he said proved he had served on a police force, leading one of the debate hosts to chide him for breaking a debate rule against bringing props on stage. 

Both candidates said they would accept the results of the next election. Walker said he would support another Donald Trump run for the presidency, while Warnock did not directly answer whether he would support a Biden run in 2024. 

The race is in a dead heat, according to a Capitol Beat/Georgia News Collaborative poll of 1,030 likely general election voters released this week.

This story is available through a news partnership with Capitol Beat News Service, a project of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation.