Republican Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker has made a lot of mistakes this campaign — many of them the kind of rookie mistakes you see from first-time office-seekers.
But Walker has also had an issue with credibility that his opponent, incumbent Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock, has taken full advantage of.
Walker has a lot of ancient history that shouldn’t play a role in the campaign, but Warnock and the Democrats have been hitting it for all its worth. And in the debate on Friday night — the only debate on the schedule — Warnock failed to get any traction from those issues because Walker was ready with an effective counter.
Walker was obviously well-prepared and in fighting trim. while Warnock’s low-key approach didn’t match the urgency of the moment.
Walker entered the debate facing enormous pressure to quell concerns that he was unfit for office fueled by a spate of damaging reports about Walker’s history, including his violent behavior toward women and the abortion reports, which he again rejected on Friday.
He was desperate to stem the tide of split-ticket Republican voters who back Kemp’s reelection campaign but were wavering over whether to cast a ballot for Walker. His answer, time and again, was to tie Warnock to President Joe Biden and his 38% approval rating.
“This race isn’t about me,” Walker said. “It’s about what Raphael Warnock and Joe Biden have done to you and your family.”
“For those of you who are concerned about voting for me — a non-politician — I want you to think about the damage a politician like Joe Biden and Raphael Warnock has done to the country,” said Walker,
Warnock had no counter to that, so he went on the attack.
“One thing that I have not done — I’ve never pretended to be a police officer,” said Warnock. “And I’ve never threatened a shootout with police.” Warnock was referring to Walker’s claim that he served as a law enforcement officer — an assertion that appears to be unfounded — and had a confrontation 21 years ago with police during a mental health crisis.
In response, Walker pulled out a badge and began to say he worked with many police officers when a moderator said it was against the rules to use a “prop” during the debate. However, Walker has received honorary commendations from law enforcement agencies.
Warnock had a very uncomfortable moment when the moderator asked him about “any limitations on abortion set by the government.” The moderator was trying to pin him down on Warnock’s apparent support for partial-birth abortion.
Instead, Warnock tried to change the subject to Roe v. Wade — an error that Walker jumped all over.
Warnock said, “a patient’s room is too narrow and small and cramped a space for a woman, her doctor, and the United States government.”
Walker shot back, “Did he not mention that there’s a baby in that room as well? And also, did he not mention that he’s asking the taxpayer to pay for it, so he’s bringing the government back into the room?”
The Republican benefited from low expectations, mostly because of a history of gaffes and meandering remarks on the campaign trail. He also worked to downplay his chances against Warnock, pitting himself as a “country boy” pitted against the polished pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church.
Democrats didn’t take Walker lightly. The Republican hired a debate coach, beefed up his operation with veterans of major campaigns and spent hours each week in “policy time” with wonks from Washington, including several Republican U.S. senators.
If Walker succeeded in winning back Kemp voters who might have had questions about his ability under fire, he should be in good shape going forward.
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