ATLANTA — Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock and his Republican challenger Herschel Walker will face off Friday night in Savannah for their widely anticipated debate.
The high-stakes matchup between the seasoned orator who delivered sermons on Sunday from the pulpit of the famed Ebenezer Baptist Church and the state football legend could determine what party takes control of the Senate next year.
The one-hour, invite-only face-to-face will be the first and likely only debate between the candidates before Election Day and could make or break the political newcomer Walker’s campaign.
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If Walker, who has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump, is able to land a few verbal punches against his more experienced political opponent, it could be his saving grace.
The NFL star has been hit with a wave of negative headlines over the past two weeks, stemming from a Daily Beast article that claimed Walker, a Republican running on a strict no-abortion agenda, paid for a former girlfriend’s abortion. Walker’s son, Christian Walker, also took aim at his famous father, alleging in a pair of social media posts that he is violent and a liar, claims the elder Walker strongly denies. Over the summer, reports surfaced that Walker had fathered three children with three different women whom he had failed to mention. He was also accused of lying about his credentials and money he claimed he had given to charity.
Ahead of the debate, Walker tried to lower expectations of his performance Friday night, telling reporters he’s just “a country boy” and “not that smart.” He also claimed Warnock was going to show up at the debate and “embarrass” him.
Walker’s campaign told the Washington Examiner that the former University of Georgia football player has been in full debate prep mode. Throughout the campaign, they have flown in people to brief Walker on policy.
Warnock, who won his seat two years ago in a special election, is hoping to secure a full six-year term in November. He has had his own share of challenges to overcome, including divorce and a messy custody battle, as well as claims he is soft on crime and that he will rubberstamp all of President Joe Biden’s policies.
Nexstar Media, which is broadcasting the debate, said about 10 million people are expected to tune in.
Here are five things to watch in tonight’s debate.
Economy
Walker is likely to hammer Warnock on the economy, tying him to dependence on foreign energy, sky-high gas prices, and inflation. More specifically, he is expected to go after Warnock for voting in favor of the Inflation Reduction Act, which became law this year. Walker claims the law “provided for the hiring of 87,000 new IRS agents to take more money out of the pockets of the average Georgian.” He’s also expected to highlight Warnock’s vote for the American Rescue Plan, which Walker argues is the “primary cause of rising inflation.” Walker has claimed that his business background makes him the better candidate to deal with the economy. “I know about creating jobs, I know about the economy, I know about these things,” Walker said.
Warnock is expected to lay out the steps he’s taken to help Georgians, including securing “$8 million to support jobs at the Port of Savannah and help ease a shipping backlog to help ensure that Georgians could get the items needed.” A memo from Warnock’s campaign claims the senator “fought to hold corporations from gas companies to shipping companies accountable for price gouging consumers.”
Crime
Walker has blamed a rise in crime on the “defund the police” movement. According to his website, Walker believes crime is “out of control in many of our major cities, including Atlanta, because politicians have demoralized, defunded, and undermined the good men and women in uniform who risk their lives every day so that we can be safe.” If elected, he claims he will fight to “fully fund all of our public safety officials by ensuring that they have the staff, equipment, and training needed to keep every neighborhood free from fear.”
Warnock has championed criminal justice reform measures that “make sense for Georgia — to move the nation toward justice and away from the harmful, ineffective, and costly policies that have devastated so many Georgia families.” Warnock believes that Georgia needs to “responsibly fund the police while reimagining the relationship between police departments and the communities they serve.” He also supports appointing independent prosecutors to handle police-involved shootings.
Abortion
The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade this year turned abortion into an election-defining subject. In Georgia, banning abortions after six weeks has become law. Warnock has referred to himself as a “pro-choice pastor,” while his opponent has campaigned on a total abortion ban. Walker has used Warnock’s position on abortion to attack him, but recent allegations that Walker paid a former girlfriend to have an abortion make the topic problematic. It’s unclear whether Warnock, who has been relatively quiet on the subject, will bring up Walker’s abortion controversy or let the moderator do it.
Biden
One of Walker’s biggest attack lines against Warnock has been that the junior senator voted with Biden about 90% of the time. It’s likely he will continue to link Warnock to Biden every chance he gets during tonight’s debate. “Dissatisfaction with the government gets challengers elected quite frequently,” said Niall Stanage, the White House columnist for the Hill.
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Healthcare
Warnock is expected to bring up how he led the fight to “cap the cost of insulin and prescription drug costs for seniors on Medicare.” Walker has gone on record saying he opposes expanding Medicaid, which would give more than 640,000 Georgians access to affordable healthcare. He’s also said no to allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices for patients, including capping the cost of insulin.
