Senate candidates make last pitch in Georgia midterm election runoff
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[December 05, 2022]
By Nathan Layne
CUMMING, Ga. (Reuters) - With Republican influence in the U.S. Senate on
the line, two dozen party faithful gathered in an Atlanta suburb on
Sunday for the final stretch of a get-out-the-vote effort aimed at
electing former football star Herschel Walker.
Conservative activist Scott Presler told the group to make sure the
targets of their door-knocking had a plan to vote in person on Tuesday
or to submit their absentee ballots on time in the runoff between Walker
and his Democratic opponent, Senator Raphael Warnock.
"I'm here with you because I understand the gravity of this election,"
Presler said.
A lot is at stake in the battleground state race, the most expensive in
the 2022 cycle, with total spending of nearly $400 million, campaign
finance data shows.
Democrats secured effective control of the Senate in the Nov. 8 general
election, while Republicans won the U.S. House of Representatives.
A Warnock victory would give his party an outright majority of 51 seats
in the upper chamber and a measure of sway over committees and judicial
appointments. A Walker win would boost Republicans' chances of blocking
President Joe Biden's agenda.
More than 1.85 million Georgians have already cast a ballot during an
early voting period, which closed on Friday, according to the Secretary
of State's office, and the state set multiple single-day records for
early voting last week.
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The early vote is expected to have leaned Democratic, political experts
from both parties say, meaning the Walker campaign goes into Tuesday
with a sizeable deficit. Republicans, however, tend to vote in bigger
numbers on Election Day.
Recent polling shows Warnock slightly ahead of Walker, who was endorsed
by former President Donald Trump, but the difference has been close to
or within the margin of error.
"The person that wins this election is the person with the best ground
game and the best efforts to turn out their base once again," said
Republican strategist Julianne Thompson. "It is going to be a nailbiter."
The surge in early voting is a sign that both campaigns have employed
effective get-out-the-vote strategies, with Walker eating into Warnock's
advantage as last week wore on, said Fred Hicks, a veteran Democratic
strategist in Atlanta.
Hicks estimates that Warnock has a cushion going into Tuesday of about
130,000 votes, based on his analysis on turnout by voters who
participated in this year's primaries.
It is not an insurmountable lead, Hicks said, noting that while Warnock
edged past Walker in the Nov. 8 election by 49.44% to 48.49%, Walker won
Election Day by some 220,000 votes.
"Senator Warnock cannot have that happen again and win," Hicks said.
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![](../images/120522PIX/news_g71.jpg)
Republican U.S. Senate candidate and
former football player Herschel Walker speaks during an event ahead
of the runoff election against Senator Raphael Warnock in Warner
Robins, Georgia, U.S., December 2, 2022. REUTERS/Alyssa Pointer
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2022/Dec/05/images/ads/current/graue_21BLAZER_081621.png)
ADVANTAGE WARNOCK
The Senate runoff is the second in Georgia in two years. Warnock, a
pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church, the Atlanta church civil rights
leader Martin Luther King Jr. led, first won his seat in a runoff in
January 2021.
To excite the base, Warnock last week solicited help from the likes
of singer-songwriter Dave Matthews, who joined a rally, and former
President Barack Obama, who sought to paint Walker as unfit for
office in a speech that went viral.
Walker appeared at a campaign rally with Republican Governor Brian
Kemp, a popular figure in the state who easily won re-election last
month. Kemp, who kept his distance during the general election, has
also lent his campaign infrastructure to Walker, providing an
operational boost.
Trump, in contrast, has not appeared with the football icon in
Georgia after several Republicans warned his presence could turn off
moderates, including in the crucial Atlanta suburbs.
Walker's campaign has been plagued by accusations that he abused
girlfriends in the past and paid for their abortions, undercutting
his anti-abortion stance. Recently, he has faced allegations that he
maintains his primary residence in Texas, not Georgia. Walker has
denied the charges.
In a CNN poll of 1,886 registered voters released on Friday, Warnock
lead Walker by four percentage points, 52% to 48%. A poll released
on Thursday by Emerson College and the Hill also showed Warnock
ahead, by two percentage points.
Warnock has held a clear financial advantage, with money pouring in
from super PACs and out-of-state supporters.
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During the runoff election, outside groups have spent more than $43
million on advertisements and other expenses in support of Warnock
or in opposition to Walker, according to campaign finance data
compiled by OpenSecrets, a nonprofit that tracks money in politics.
That compares to the $28 million spent in support of Walker or
opposition to Warnock.
The spending differential is evident to Republican strategist Brian
Robinson, who said every time he uses Google or YouTube he sees ads
supporting Warnock, while his wife, a staunch Republican, has
received mail about abortion rights.
"They have enough to go beyond just turning out their base," he said
of Democrats. "They have enough money to try and persuade people."
(Reporting by Nathan Layne; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Gerry
Doyle)
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