Walker, who may have a chance to win a Senate majority for Republicans, closed his polling deficit in the final month of the race to nearly tie Warnock, D-Ga., at the polls. But now he will have to get his voters back to the polls in less than four weeks against an opponent with experience winning runoffs. Trump is also expected to launch his 2024 presidential campaign on Tuesday. University of Georgia political science professor Charles Bullock told Fox News Digital that he risks drawing attention away from Walker. “If Trump announces, that will help Raphael Warnock,” Bullock said. “It would remind those Republican voters who didn’t like Trump and who wouldn’t vote for Trump — we’re mostly talking about white, college-educated voters, who probably live in the suburbs — it would remind them what they didn’t do for Trump.” WARNOCK LAUNCHES SENATE CHARGE WITH BROADSIDES AGAINST WALKER, CALLING ON ‘BALTIC HISTORY’ The Georgia runoff election between Senate candidates Raphael Warnock, left, and Herschel Walker is Dec. 6, 2022. (Fox News) “They can’t vote against him, but they can vote against his candidacy in the form of Herschel Walker,” Bullock added. Asked about Trump’s potential influence in the runoff, Stephen Lawson, a spokesman for PAC 34N22, which supports Walker, said all Republicans should focus on the Senate race. “We need everyone to pick Herschel up and push him to the finish line in a positive, constructive way,” Lawson said. Trump spokesman Taylor Budowitz said Trump intends to help Walker cross the finish line. “President Trump endorsed Herschel Walker early and invested in his success,” Budowitz said. “Now, after being forced into a runoff, President Trump remains committed to his success, and his support will be critical on Election Day.” GA SENATE DIFFERENCE: WALKER UNCOVERS $3.3 MILLION ON FIRST DAY OF NEW CAMPAIGN Warnock also has his own vulnerability: President Biden — whom Democrats generally avoided before the midterms. Herschel Walker’s supporters are looking to Gov. Brian Kemp to support him. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call Inc.) “I think it will be very interesting to see if Joe Biden comes to Georgia,” Lawson said. “If he’s not, I think that reflects how badly Georgians view him and by extension Raphael Warnock.” Probably the most significant change from 2020, however, is that the runoff is five weeks shorter due to Georgia’s new election law. This cuts down on the time it takes for campaigns to build up their infrastructure to get out the vote and cuts early voting down to about a week. “This effort to get out of the vote will be all hands [on] deck,” Walker campaign communications director Will Kiley said. “The biggest thing here is … it’s going to be what kind of ground game each side can put together,” Bullock added. “Rule No. 1 for runoffs is to try to get those people who voted for your candidate to come back for a runoff.” Lawson argued that “direct contact with voters … in terms of door movers, grassroots movers” will be key. He said he expects GOP Gov. Brian Kemp, who easily won re-election Tuesday, to go to bat for his party’s Senate nominee. BALANCE OF POWER: WHAT’S NEXT FOR UNELECTED SENATE RACES IN ARIZONA, NEVADA, ALASKA AND GEORGIA? “I think you’re going to see a lot of synergy with us, with our organization and with the governor’s operation,” he said. “And I think you’re going to see the governor come out and be very supportive of Herschel.” Senator Raphael Warnock won the 2020 runoff. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images) But this isn’t Warnock’s first second-rounder, the former 2020 second-rounder noted. “Rev. Warnock has built a formidable and successful turnout business ready to kick into high gear, while Walker has a big challenge ahead of him to motivate skeptical voters — especially without Kemp on the ballot,” said the 2020 Democratic official. . “Early voting is down from three weeks to one. … This makes a strong ground game even more vital.” Outside teams are also likely to throw resources at Warnock. The Progressive Turnout Project told Fox News Digital it will spend at least $1 million in Warnock and has recruited nearly 1,400 volunteers. But no matter how much effort is put into the race, the 2020 Democratic runoff official said, it’s nearly impossible to predict a runoff. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “The electorate is unknown and fluid. Anyone who pretends to know what it will be like on December 6 is lying,” the official said. But Walker’s team says they are optimistic, even as their candidate received fewer votes than other statewide Republicans on Tuesday. Those Republicans, they said, faced fewer opponents. “One senator spent $100 million attacking Herschel, and the best they could do was the second senator,” Kiley said. Tyler Olson is a reporter covering the Senate for Fox News Digital.
