OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Democratic Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock appeared very caught off guard many times on Friday night when Herschel Walker, his Republican challenger, tore into him during their first and only debate ahead of the midterm elections.
Walker, a former Georgia Bulldogs football player, showed up and delivered a solid performance. In particular, Walker held Warnock’s feet to the fire during an exchange about abortion. Warnock, who is a pastor, advocates for no limits on abortion. Walker is pro-life.
Walker said, “[Warnock] told me black lives matter, and if you think about it, senator, in Atlanta, Georgia, there’s more black babies that is aborted than anything. So if black lives matter, why are you not protecting those babies? And instead of aborting those babies, why are you not baptizing those babies?”
Warnock replied, “I think the women of Georgia have a clear choice.”
“A patient’s room is too narrow and small and cramped a space for a woman, her doctor and the United States government. We are witnessing right now what happens when politicians, most of them men, pile into patient’s rooms,” Warnock said. “The women of Georgia [deserve] a senator who will stand with them. I trust women more than I trust politicians.”
Then Walker landed one right between the eyes. He said, “He’s a neat talker, but did he not mention that there’s a baby in that room as well?”
On Friday night, Walker tried to tie Warnock to President Joe Biden’s failed agenda, noting that he had voted with Biden 96 percent of the time.
Herschel Walker (R): “If Black Lives Matter, why are you not protecting those babies, and instead of aborting those babies, why are you not baptizing those babies?”
Sen. Raphael Warnock (D): “I think the women of Georgia have a clear choice.” pic.twitter.com/Ry6CaAilRB
— The Recount (@therecount) October 14, 2022
Warnock: "A patient's room is too … cramped a space for a woman, her doctor, and the US government."
Walker: "There's a baby in that room as well." pic.twitter.com/l5NJO9z7G5
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) October 14, 2022
A Georgia Senate race that could help decide which party controls the chamber following the November midterm elections is heating up just weeks before polling begins.
Former NFL great Hershel Walker, who has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump, has taken a three-point lead over Democratic incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock, according to the latest InsiderAdvantage/FOX 5 Atlanta poll.
Newsmax noted further that in recent weeks, Warnock slipped four points in the poll while Walker has gained two points, a shift of six points in total. “Walker now leads 47% to 44% in one of the key battlegrounds as Republicans seek to flip back a Georgia Senate seat as the midterm battle for the upper-chamber majority heats up in the race’s final two months,” the outlet reported.
Chase Oliver, a Libertarian Party candidate, is having an impact in the race as well, with 4 percent support. Meanwhile, 5 percent of Georgians remain undecided, Newsmax reported, citing the polling results.
“Warnock is winning among younger voters and seniors but trails badly among those 40-64,” InsiderAdvantage Chairman Matt Towery noted in a statement to Fox 5 Atlanta. “Men support Walker at 60%, while women support Warnock at 55%. Walker is receiving 12% support from African American respondents.”
In the Peach State, there is a run-off electoral system, which is what led to Warnock flipping the seat blue in January 2021 against incumbent GOP Sen. Kelly Loeffler after she and fellow Republican Sen. David Perdue both failed to secure 50 percent of the vote. Perdue ended up losing to then-Democratic challenger Jon Ossoff. Reports following the election noted that hundreds of thousands of Republican voters who cast ballots in the 2020 elections did not vote during the run-offs.
“This race could very well be headed to a general election runoff given the fact that there seems to be few points among the various demographics up for grabs,” Towery noted in his poll assessment.
Newsmax added:
Walker, who is endorsed by former President Donald Trump, once played for Trump’s New Jersey Generals in the United States Football League, before becoming an NFL great.
Walker is popular in the state of Georgia, having starred at the University of Georgia, winning NCAA football’s Heisman Trophy in 1982 as a junior.
At times, the campaign between Walker and Warnock has turned negative. In June, Walker responded to attacks on him regarding his children after The Daily Beast reported that he had fathered a son 10 years ago and was ordered by a court to provide child support.
Days later, the same outlet also reported that Walker had another son who was not widely known. For his part, Walker denied that allegation.
“I have four children. Three sons and a daughter. They’re not ‘undisclosed’ — they’re my kids,” Walker told The Daily Wire.
“I support them all and love them all,” he added. “I’ve never denied my children, I confirmed this when I was appointed to the President’s Council on Sports Fitness and Nutrition, I just chose not to use them as props to win a political campaign.
“What parent would want their child involved in garbage, gutter politics like this?” the former NFL great added.
Walker has long spoken out against absent dads, especially in the black community.
