A marathon election campaign will enter its final sprint on Tuesday when Georgia voters decide the last seat in the United States Senate and shape the next phase of Joe Biden’s presidency.
Opinion polls suggest a narrow lead for incumbent Democratic senator Raphael Warnock over his Republican rival, former American football star Herschel Walker.
Warnock’s victory would give Democrats 51 seats in the 100-seat Senate, a stronger hand than they currently hold in an evenly divided chamber where Vice President Kamala Harris is throwing the tiebreaker.
It’s the second time in two years that a Senate race has gone to a runoff in Georgia because neither candidate won a majority on Election Day. But the Peach State is showing few signs of voter fatigue with officials reporting record early voting turnout.
National and state Democrats aren’t slowing down when they come out to support Warnock, either. Last week saw celebrity-led events, including a Dave Matthews Band concert, a consultation with actresses Tessa Thompson and America Ferrera, and a rally targeting the Asian American community in Georgia with Jeannie Mai Jenkins and Daniel Dae Kim .
Warnock, pastor of Martin Luther King’s former church, closed the week with a rally in Atlanta led by the party’s biggest star, Barack Obama. “I’m here to tell you that we can’t leave each other,” the former president said after taking the stage to roars and chants. “I’m here to tell you we can’t tune out. We can’t be complacent. We have to go through the motions. And I know you can because you’ve done it before.”
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Raphael Warnock campaigns in Savannah, Georgia. Photo: Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA
The event felt like a Baptist sermon as, with almost every sentence the former president uttered, the crowd clapped and responded with “yes,” “okay,” and “let’s go,” illustrating the geography of Georgia in the extreme south directly in the Bible. Belt.
Obama has been unleashed, forceful and sardonic in the midterm campaign, gutting Republicans in a way few Democrats can. He said, “Since I was last here, Mr. Walker has been talking about issues that are of great importance to the people of Georgia. Like whether it’s better to be a vampire or a werewolf. This is a debate which I must confess I had once. When I was seven. Then I grew up.”
He added, “In case you’re wondering, by the way, Mr. Walker decided he wanted to be a werewolf. Which is great. As far as I’m concerned, he can be anything he wants to be, except a United States senator.”
As Florida turns Republican red, Georgia is becoming one of the most critical swing states in the country. Biden’s victory over President Donald Trump there in 2020 helped propel him to the White House. Warnock and fellow Democrat Jon Ossoff won Senate seats in January 2021 after a runoff, giving their party control of the chamber.
Obama praised Georgians’ ability to influence the national political landscape, affecting post-2020 achievements such as infrastructure spending, gun safety legislation, prescription drug price cuts and a record investment in clean energy. “This happened because of you, Georgia. And now we need you to do it again.”
I feel encouraged by this speech because it is so true. We can’t stop because we know what’s at stake Ashley Davis
Democrats hope Obama’s intervention will energize the party’s base. Ashley Davis, a student who attended the rally, said: “I’m ready. I have been consulting since the start of the election and I am also doing phone banking. I feel encouraged by this speech because it is so true. We can’t stop because we know what’s at stake. Georgia is ready and we have shown that we are a force to be reckoned with.”
Biden, on the other hand, has stayed away amid concerns he could be a rub for Warnock. Instead, he aims to help the campaign from afar, a strategy that was successful in the midterms as Democrats defied expectations.
On Friday, the president joined a phone bank run by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers in Boston, Mass., to help Warnock’s campaign and drew a sharp contrast with Walker. “This is not a referendum on Warnock,” he said. “This is a choice — a choice between two men … One doesn’t deserve to be in the United States Senate because of his truthfulness and what he said and what he didn’t say. The other man is a really, really decent guy and honorable.”
Republicans won every other statewide race in Georgia last month. Gov. Brian Kemp, who won re-election, has now thrown his weight behind Walker. A strong Election Day turnout from party voters could still push the ex-footballer to victory.
Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker campaigns in Warner Robins, Georgia. Photo: Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA
But Walker has proven to be a motivator for Democratic enthusiasm because he has Trump’s endorsement, has no political pedigree and has made a series of outlandish and wild statements. A flier mailed to households by the Georgia Democratic Party asks, “How embarrassed would you be if Herschel Walker were your senator?”
Walker’s campaign has been plagued by allegations that he abused girlfriends in the past and paid for their abortions, undermining his anti-abortion stance. He has recently faced claims that he maintains his primary residence in Texas, not Georgia. Walker has denied the allegations.
Warnock beat Walker in the November 8 election by 49.44% to 48.49%. An Emerson College/The Hill poll of Georgia voters found Warnock with 49 percent support and Walker with 47 percent, with 4 percent undecided.
John Zogby, author and pollster, said: “Warnock must have gained some kind of momentum from November 8 because black voters seem to be more energized and not going with Herschel Walker.
“Walker has had a number of issues that he’s had to deal with since November 8th and he hasn’t handled them well. Even with Kemp’s help, which could be considerable, voters ultimately don’t vote for who the governor he wants them to vote: they vote for the candidate.”
Court appointments will zip, zip, zip because the floor is much easier to access as a clear majority party in the Senate Larry Sabato
Although Democrats have already secured control of the Senate for two more years, a true 51-seat majority would speed up the confirmation process for Biden’s administrative and judicial nominees and provide a cushion for the president if any Democrats go against the party line .
In addition, Democrats would gain more seats and financial resources on Senate committees, and committee chairs would no longer need Republican support to issue subpoenas to subpoena witnesses during investigations.
Biden told reporters last month: “It’s always better with 51, because we’re in a situation where you don’t have to have a uniform makeup of the committees. And that’s why it’s important, mostly. But it’s just better. The bigger the numbers, better.”
Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, said, “It makes a big difference because the Democrats would get majorities on almost every committee. The court appointments will go zip, zip, zip because you get access to the room much more easily as a clear majority party in the Senate.
“Also, look at how many former senators there are… If there’s an open seat and people are upset with Biden, they could end up voting Republican in any purple state.”