Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker (R) accused his Democratic opponent of stoking division in a new campaign ad focused on racial politics.
The ad, paid for by Walker’s campaign and the National Republican Senatorial Committee, begins with clips of Democratic politicians, including Stacey Abrams, President Joe Biden, and Walker’s rival, Sen. Raphael Warnock (D), making statements about race in America, preceded by the text: “Democrats use race to divide us.”
In the clip, Warnock says, “America has a preexisting condition. It’s called racism.” The reverend reportedly made the remark in a 2017 sermon.
RAPHAEL WARNOCK’S INCOME DOUBLED DURING HIS FIRST YEAR IN SENATE
“Sen. Warnock believes America is a bad country full of racist people. I believe we’re a great country full of generous people,” Walker says in the ad. “Warnock wants to divide us. I want to bring us together.”
Warnock’s campaign did not respond to the Washington Examiner’s request for comment.
The ad will run across the state and cost $2 million, according to the Hill. The Georgia Senate race is tight, rated a “toss-up” by the Cook Political Report. Both candidates have made use of scandal and domestic disputes in each other’s pasts.
Walker’s last ad focused on Warnock’s legal troubles with his ex-wife, who accused him of failing to pay child support and hitting her with a car during an argument. (Warnock was never charged with a crime.)
Walker has also been the subject of controversy after it came out that he fathered multiple unacknowledged children, falsely claimed to be an FBI agent, and his ex-wife accused him of abuse. The Senate Majority PAC stressed Walker’s “history of violence” in an ad that began airing last month.
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The candidates have been polling neck and neck, with a recent survey from Emerson College finding that Walker would get 46% of the vote to Warnock’s 44%, a gap that is within the margin of error. Republicans only need to net one seat in the Senate to gain a majority, but Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has suggested “candidate quality” will hurt their chances. The remark was interpreted as a knock on Republicans like Walker.
