Voters in Georgia once again have the final say on how Congress will look, as the state watches a Senate runoff race between Democratic incumbent Raphael Warnock and Republican challenger Herschel Walker.
Democrats have secured victories in other states, securing a Senate majority, but that doesn’t mean Tuesday is without risk.
First, Georgia’s special election will determine whether the House maintains a 50-50 split, proving to be a difficult tightrope walk for President Joe Biden and Democrats.
If Warnock wins, a 51-seat majority would give Senate Democrats control of committees and free them from relying on Vice President Kamala Harris for a tiebreaker.
Georgia Senate runoff: Football icon Herschel Walker, Sen.Raphael Warnock clashes in runoff
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But if Walker wins, Democrats will be under pressure to stay united.
It also gives moderate-to-conservative-leaning senators in their caucuses more power over close judicial nominations or other important executive confirmations.
Here is the latest:
Gov. Kemp continues to boost support for Walker
In a video posted to Twitter this morning, Governor Brian Kemp encouraged Georgia voters to get out and vote for Herschel Walker, as he put it.
“We’ve got to have a big turnout today to win this thing. Let’s get it done and send a guy like Herschel to the U.S. Senate and he’ll fight for us,” Kemp said in the forty-second video Say.
During his own re-election campaign earlier this year, Kemp distanced himself more from Walker, not publicly endorsing the Republican Senate candidate as he has since Nov. 11. 8. He made his debut with Walker on Nov. 11. 19 during a rally in northwest Atlanta.
With Walker entering today’s poll slightly behind his opponent, his best chance of success may very well be Kemp. The popular governor could help mobilize voters, especially more moderate Republicans, who did not support Walker a month ago.
— Savannah Kuchar
Who is Herschel Walker?
Republican challenger Herschel Walker is a former college and NFL player. The 60-year-old Georgia native entered the Senate race as one of former President Donald Trump’s hand-picked candidates. George’s Senatorial campaign was Walker’s first political campaign.
A staunch anti-abortion rights candidate, Walker faced controversy weeks before the election when An ex-girlfriend told the Daily Beast that he paid for her abortion in 2009 and later urged her to do it again. Walker has denied her allegations, as well as those of another woman who said she, too, was pressured by Senate candidates to get an abortion.
Walker has maintained a strict stance against abortion, including in cases of rape or incest, calling himself “pro-choice” on his campaign website. He is running on a platform of energy independence as a means of lowering oil and gas prices, saying he will “defend rather than defund the police”.
—Rachel Luke, Savannah Kuchar
How much did the runoff cost?
Georgia Senate race is According to OpenSecrets, it’s the most expensive game of the mid-season.
Before the runoff, super PACs spent nearly $16 million more on Warnock than his Republican challenger, Herschel Walker, on things like pro-Warnock or anti-Walker ads. More than $40 million. Other PACs spent more than $24 million supporting or opposing Warnock, according to documents filed with the Federal Election Commission.
Funds were primarily used to purchase television commercials, digital and online communications, and on-the-ground canvassing.
— Rachel Luke, Mabindi Quasi, Erin Mansfield
Why is there a runoff? Will there be a recount in tonight’s runoff?
On election night, Sen. Raphael Warnock topped Herschel Walker by about 1 percentage point — not enough to avoid a runoff, with Liberals getting 2 percent of the vote, but enough to avoid a recount in Georgia.
There is also a procedure if an election administrator or a candidate believes a vote count was wrong. If a candidate requests a recount due to error, it will be at the discretion of the Secretary of State.
– Abraham Kenmore
Early voting:An appeals court rejected a challenge to early voting in Warnock, Ga. vs. Georgia Saturday.walker runoff
Georgia elections: DOJ oversees Georgia runoff
The Justice Department will monitor opinion polls in four Georgia counties on Tuesday as voters cast their ballots in a Senate runoff election, the last remaining contest in the 2022 midterm elections.
The judiciary regularly sends monitors to guard against violations of voting rights. On Tuesday, monitors from the Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office will be deployed to Cobb, Fulton, Gwinnett and Macon-Bieber counties.
Complaints involving possible violations can be made at The department’s website or call 800-253-3931.
– Kevin Johnson
What is a runoff? :The Georgian heads to the second round of Warnock v. Walker.
Georgia GOP Lt. Gov. Jeff Duncan: Herschel Walker is one of the ‘worst Republican candidates’ in GOP history
Georgia Republican Lieutenant General Jeff Duncan, who was elected in 2018, told CBS News he would not vote for Walker.
“I think Herschel Walker could be one of the worst Republican candidates in the history of our party,” he said. told CBS News last week.
“I think I have some kids that might be more expressive of a conservative platform than some of the candidates that Donald Trump and his team have backed around the country,” he added.
– Rachel Luke
What to Know About Georgia Runoff:When is the Georgia runoff election? Voters will go to the polls today.
What is a runoff?
Similar to a political tiebreaker, a runoff is a second contest held in a general election when no candidate wins a majority of the vote.
In Georgia, runoffs are held four weeks after the general election when the top two candidates do not receive more than 50 percent of the vote. A candidate must win a majority of votes to win in a runoff.
Neither Georgia Senate candidates Walker nor Warnock reached the 50% voting threshold on Nov. 11. 8. Warnock leads Walker by more than 30,000 votes – 49.4% of the total. Walker won 48.5 percent, with the remaining 2.1 percent going to Liberal candidate Chase Oliver, triggering a runoff.
Anyone registered to vote can vote in a runoff.
– Rachel Luke
Who is Sen Raphael Warnock?
Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock, 53, was first elected to Congress in 2020 after winning a special election runoff to fill a vacant seat. Born in Savannah, Georgia, the senator was pastor for more than 16 years at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, the late pastor’s former church. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
According to his campaign website, Warnock called himself a “pro-choice priest” and criticized the Supreme Court’s overturning of the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion.
The Democratic incumbent has emphasized the need to push for criminal justice reform measures while funding the police. He advocated expanding Medicaid and capping the cost of insulin and prescription drugs.
Warnock believes that access to education should not depend on zip code, and advocates for lower higher education costs and fights for student loan forgiveness.
– Rachel Luke
Warnock vs. Walker: From hesitating to leaning toward Democrats
Opinion polls continue to show Warnock and Walker locked in a close race, but some political forecasters believe the Democrats have the edge.
The University of Virginia’s Crystal Ball, a newsletter that analyzes activity, Georgia went from a “swing” state to a “leaning Democratic” state on Monday.
It noted that Georgia remains a closely contested state, but that “most indicators point to Warnock’s advantage,” including early voting data and the fact that Democrats are spending significantly more than Republicans.
“If Warnock ends up winning…we can all agree on one thing: he will definitely win a full term. In 2 years, Warnock played 4 high-stakes games,” J said Miles Coleman, an associate editor of the newsletter.
— Philip M. Bailey
Warnock vs. Walker: Saturday vote and run-off timetable
Georgia is involved in one of the more The Republican-controlled state legislature changed election rules in early 2021 amid a contentious voting rights battle.
One of the biggest changes affecting December. A sixth special election under the measure, known as SB 202, shortened runoff elections from nine to four weeks and shortened early voting from 17 to five days.
Another fight sparked by the new law is Saturday’s vote.
Initially, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s office recommended that Georgia counties have the option to hold Saturday, Nov. 17 ballots. 26.
But later the office said it would not hold a vote on Saturday, citing its interpretation of SB 202, which prevents early in-person voting on any Saturday after the Thursday or Friday holiday.
Democrats, including Warnock’s campaign, stormed Ravensberger’s office and quickly sued the decision. A judge, and ultimately the appeals court, ruled against Republicans in court and allowed a vote on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
— Philip M. Bailey
Obama and Warnock:Obama paints GOP as ‘Looney Tunes’ party as he campaigns for Warnock ahead of Georgia runoff
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Georgia election: Nearly 2 million people have voted
Voters in Georgia have waged a marathon campaign over the past two years — the 2020 presidential election, two separate 2021 Senate runoffs and the 2022 midterm elections.
But if the early voting numbers are any indication, the Peach State is just as committed to December’s election. 6 The final is like any other competition.
More than 1.8 million Georgians have already voted, according to the Secretary of State’s office.
Last Friday, the last day of early voting, more than 350,000 Georgians voted, breaking the one-day record for early voting.
“Georgia is a national leader in voter access and security,” Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said in a statement.
“Our turnout is at an all-time high and those who want to vote are doing so – we believe this level of voter engagement is great and we will continue to work with counties to encourage them to open more early voting locations in the future .”
— Philip M. Bailey
Georgia runoff: Voting begins at 7 a.m.
Polling places in Georgia’s 159 counties opened at 7 a.m. on December 12. 6 Finals, to end at 7:00 pm
As in most states, if a person is in line at 7:00 p.m., they can vote.
— Philip M. Bailey