- Raphael Warnock on Thursday set the stage for his Senate runoff campaign against Herschel Walker.
- Warnock during his speech said Walker had "no vision for our state or for our country."
ATLANTA, Georgia — Sen. Raphael Warnock on Thursday came out swinging against his opponent, accusing Republican Herschel Walker of "trafficking in division" as the two men will now face each other in a December 6 runoff election to represent Georgia in the upper chamber.
Warnock — who was first elected to the Senate in a January 2021 runoff election to fill the remaining term of Republican Johnny Isakson — gave an energetic speech where he spoke of his earlier pronouncement that a runoff was a possibility after the November general election, with polls having showed a deadlocked race for weeks.
"Are you ready to do this one more time?" the senator asked supporters who had gathered on a rainy day in the historic Sweet Auburn neighborhood in front of a prominent mural of John Lewis, the late civil-rights activist and lawmaker who represented the area in Congress for over three decades.
"Now, you have to admit that I did warn ya'll that we might be spending Thanksgiving together," Warnock quipped. "And here we are."
With most precincts reporting, Warnock was ahead 49.4%-48.5%, with the incumbent Democrat receiving 1,941,792 votes to 1,906,353 for Walker, per Insider and DDHQ. But because neither candidate exceeded 50% of the vote, state law mandates that the top two-vote getters face off in a runoff election.
Warnock is seeking a full six-year term while Walker, a former University of Georgia football standout and first-time political candidate, entered the race with the backing of former President Donald Trump.
The senator in recent weeks has been more forceful in blasting Walker's candidacy, accusing the Republican of skirting transparency over his legislative agenda if he were to serve in the upper chamber. And the Democratic lawmaker's speech showed that he isn't letting up painting Walker as an individual who is not a serious candidate for public office.
"If you're not ready for this job, opportunities will pass you by, and more importantly, you'll lose opportunities for the people that you're supposed to represent." Warnock said. "And we can't afford that right now. It's a job that requires knowledge of the issues and a willingness to actually learn more."
"This race is about competence. Herschel Walker has shown us that he's not capable. He's not ready to do any of that," he went on to say. "In fact, he's shown us that he's not really interested in doing any of that. Herschel Walker has no vision for our state or for our country. Think about it. We've been running now for a little while, and he has yet to tell us what he actually wants to do. Maybe because he has no vision, he's busy trafficking in division."
Walker has repeatedly sought to tie Warnock to President Joe Biden's economic policies, needling the incumbent over inflation and what he said was wasteful spending in Democratic-led spending bills. But Walker was unable to use that message effectively against Warnock, significantly underperforming other statewide Republicans on the ballot who easily won their races, including Gov. Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.
Walker has also been dogged by allegations that he paid for women to have abortions in the past, which he has denied.