US Midterms: Ga. Senate Candidates Make Last Pitch Before Runoff
Facts
- Incumbent Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican challenger Herschel Walker made their final pitches to voters on Sunday, two days before the Dec. 6 US Senate runoff. More than 1.85M Georgians have already cast their votes during early voting.
- Warnock, a pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, used his time at the pulpit Sunday to remind his parishioners to vote, and joked that they have a choice between two candidates whose "last name starts with W."
- Walker spent Sunday with Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC) and focused his time denouncing COVID restrictions and vaccine mandates. While Warnock received support from former Pres. Barack Obama, the GOP's central figure, Donald Trump, steered clear of the campaign trail.
- A major part of Walker’s message has been blaming inflation on the $1.9T American Rescue Plan, which Warnock voted for. The two are also starkly divided on abortion, policing, and voting laws.
- The candidates are in this runoff because neither received a majority of votes during the Nov. 8 general election, which finished with Warnock ahead of Walker 49.4% to 48.5%. Libertarian Chase Oliver, who isn't part of the runoff, took 2.1%. Although a recent CNN poll gave Warnock a slight lead, high turnout and enthusiasm on both sides make it difficult to project a winner.
- A Warnock win would give Democrats an outright 51-seat majority, but a Walker win would give Republicans a better chance at thwarting Pres. Joe Biden's agenda. So far, $400M has been spent, by far the most expensive race in the 2022 campaign cycle.
Sources: Reuters, New York Times, CNN, and Capitalb.
Narratives
- Republican narrative, as provided by Townhall. Warnock’s record as a senator proves he doesn’t care about Georgians’ economic well-being or their safety. His votes will cost taxpayers, who will be easier targets for IRS agents, more of their money. And the state will be less safe because of his vote to reject adding more Border Patrol agents. Walker is offering Georgians relief from government theft.
- Democratic narrative, as provided by Vanity Fair. There’s a long list of reasons not to vote for Walker. He supports restrictions on abortion access, places the rights of gun owners over safety, and might not even be a resident of Georgia. Warnock cares about what Georgians care about, and the same most certainly cannot be said for Walker.