Senator Raphael Warnock and former University of Georgia running back Herschel Walker will square off in their only scheduled debate in Savannah on Friday.
The debate comes as numerous news stories have revealed lurid details and allegations about Mr Walker’s personal life. Last week, The Daily Beast published a series of stories alleging that Mr Walker, the Republican nominee, paid for an abortion for his ex-girlfriend. The New York Times later corroborated the story and reported that he also tried to pressure the same woman to have a second abortion.
The Independent has requested a comment from Mr Walker’s campaign about the allegations, which he has vehemently denied.
So far, Mr Warnock has attempted to avoid speaking about the story.
But debate moderators will likely ask Mr Walker about the allegations, as well as Mr Warnock’s response to them. In addition, Mr Warnock will likely be asked about his support for President Joe Biden’s policy to cancel $10,000 in student loan debt for people earning up to $120,000 and $20,000 for Pell Grant recipients.
Moderators will also likely ask Mr Warnock for his support for Mr Biden’s policies like the American Rescue Plan, which Republicans have blamed for rising inflation, as well as his proposal to cap the price of insulin for Medicare recipients, which passed in the Inflation Reduction Act back in August.
Despite the allegations against Mr Walker, Republicans have coalesced around him. This week, Senators Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Florida’s Rick Scott, who leads the National Republican Senatorial Committee, campaigned for Mr Walker.
Mr Warnock for his part is one of the most vulnerable Democratic incumbents up for reelection in a state where President Joe Biden narrowly won in 2020, but where he is now unpopular. Mr Warnock narrowly won a runoff on 5 January of last year in a special election to replace retiring Senator Johnny Isakson.
That victory, along with that of Senator Jon Ossoff, gave Democrats their 50-50 Senate majority wherein Vice President Kamala Harris breaks ties. Consequently, Republicans have tried to tie Mr Warnock, the senior pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church where Martin Luther King Jr once preached, to Mr Biden.
But Mr Warnock largely benefited from the fact that then-congressman Doug Collins and former Senator Kelly Loeffler, whom Governor Brian Kemp nominated for the seat, engaged in a vicious back-and-forth throughout the election.
Conversely, much of the Republican field coalesced around Mr Walker, who won the Heisman Trophy and helped UGA win the national title, despite numerous allegations that he abused women. Mr Walker for his part has attributed his behavior to his battle with dissociative personality disorder.
The two will debate in Savannah and it will be hosted by NextStar Media Group.
Mr Warnock for his part has been a prolific fundraiser. In the most recent fundraising quarter, he raked in $26.3m.
Multiple polls have shown Mr Warnock has taken the lead since the news reports about the abortion. An Atlanta Journal-Constitution/Georgia News Collaborative poll showed that Mr Warnock led Mr Walker 46 per cent to 43 per cent.
Similarly, Mr Warnock benefits from a large amount of crossover support. The same poll showed that Governor Brian Kemp, a Republican, has a double-digit lead against former state legislator Stacey Abrams. But about 9 per cent of voters back Mr Warnock despite the fact he is a Democrat.
Moderators will likely ask Mr Warnock why Mr Kemp’s voters would pick him despite the fact he has voted with Mr Biden 96.4 per cent of the time, according to FiveThirtyEight.
The non-partisan Cook Political Report has rated the race as a toss-up.
But if neither candidate wins at least 50 per cent of the vote, there will be a runoff election.
