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ATLANTA, Ga. — Sen. Raphael Warnock on Thursday lashed out at his opponent, accusing Republican Herchel Walker of “peddling division” as the two men now face each other in a Dec. 6 runoff election to represent Agriculture in the upper house.
Warnock – who was first elected to the Senate in a January 2021 re-election to fill out the remainder of Republican Johnny Isakson’s term – gave a spirited speech where he spoke about his earlier statement that a run-off was likely after the general election of November, with polls showing a deadlocked race for weeks.
“Are you ready to do it one more time?” the senator asked supporters gathered on a rainy day in the historic Sweet Auburn neighborhood in front of a prominent mural of John Lewis, the late civil rights activist and congressman who represented the area in Congress for more than three decades.
“Now, you’ve got to admit I warned you we might be spending Thanksgiving together,” Warnock quipped. “And here we are.”
With most precincts reporting, Warnock led 49.4%-48.5%, with the incumbent Democrat receiving 1,941,792 votes to Walker’s 1,906,353, per Insider and DDHQ. But since neither candidate received more than 50 percent of the vote, state law dictates that the top two vote-getters will face off in a runoff election.
Warnock is seeking a full six-year term, while Walker, a former University of Georgia football standout and first-time political candidate, entered the race with the support of former President Donald Trump.
The senator in recent weeks has been more forceful in blasting Walker’s candidacy, accusing the Republican of compromising transparency on his legislative agenda if he were to serve in the upper chamber. And the Democratic congressman’s speech showed he’s not letting go of painting Walker as someone who isn’t a serious candidate for public office.
“If you’re not ready for the job, opportunities will pass you by, and more importantly, you’ll miss opportunities for the people you’re supposed to represent.” Warnock said. “And we can’t afford that right now. It’s a job that requires subject matter knowledge and a willingness to really learn more.”
“This fight is about ability. Herschel Walker has shown us that he’s not capable. He’s not ready to do any of that,” he continued. “In fact, he’s shown us that he’s not really interested in doing any of that. Herschel Walker has no vision for our state or our country. Think about it. We’ve been running for a while now, and he’s still got to tell us what he wants really do. Maybe because he doesn’t have a vision, he’s busy running the department.”
Walker has repeatedly sought to link Warnock to President Joe Biden’s economic policies, taking into account inflation and what he said was wasteful spending in Democratic-led spending bills. But Walker was unable to use that message effectively against Warnock, significantly undermining other statewide Republicans on the ballot who easily won their races, including Gov. Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.
Walker has also faced allegations that he paid for women to have abortions in the past, which he has denied.
