ATLANTA — U.S. Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican Herschel Walker are taking new steps to energize their supporters on the eve of the Georgia Senate runoff for the last election battle of 2022.
Walker has a series of events on Monday across a swath of north Georgia — crucial GOP territory where he lagged behind Gov. Brian Kemp in November. He swung by a diner in Flowery Branch early Monday where supporters awaiting his arrival gave him an ovation.
The Republican will end the night at the same place where he held his final event before the midterm with a rally at the Governor’s Gun Club in Kennesaw.
Warnock is focused on motivating the Democratic base, starting with a get-out-the-vote event with union organizers in Atlanta, a rally for students at Georgia Tech, a stop with the rapper Killer Mike and a final send-off in Atlanta.
Election officials are readying for turnout on Tuesday that could far surpass 1 million voters, adding to the more than 1.8 million Georgians who have already cast their ballots.
“We’re preparing for it to be a close race that could go deep into the night,” said Gabriel Sterling of the Secretary of State’s office. “We have to plan for every eventuality.”
Warnock started his day with an appeal to union members at a metro Atlanta UPS hub, where he credited organized labor as the foundation of the “strength of our economy and the strength of our country.”
“You can’t say you believe in the dignity of work and not support the dignity of workers,” the Democrat said at the event with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters union.
Through its political action committee, the Teamsters has about 40 people in Georgia contacting the union’s members in Georgia to canvass for Warnock, according to Teamsters Local 728 vice president Chuck Stiles.
Warnock fortified support from the Teamsters by supporting legislation last year to fund assistance for struggling multi-employer pension funds including the Teamsters pension.
”I have Herschel Walker now right where I want him, because this race is about me and him — who’s qualified to represent the 11 million people of Georgia for the next six years,” Warnock said.
