Warnock treks across GA, Walker limits schedule in final days
Polls open in less than 24 hours.
Both candidates for U.S. Senate are taking starkly different approaches to turn out their base in the final hours of the U.S. Senate runoff.
With less than 24 hours left until polls open, Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock has tacked onto a strategy of making multiple campaign stops per day. While Republican challenger Herschel Walker has limited his campaign schedule and has even restricted media access.
Over the weekend, Sen. Warnock embarked on a statewide bus tour that included stops in Savannah, Atlanta, Augusta and Athens. He was joined his Democratic colleague, fellow Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff.
Warnock appeared encouraged by the record early voting numbers. “I want to thank the people of Augusta for showing up in such a powerful way,” he said. “Record turnout we have been seeing.”
Over 1.8 million Georgians have voted early — and thousands more have voted absentee by mail. But Warnock has tried to caution his supporters against letting their guard down: “Tell [your friends] you choose who to vote for, but please show up and vote. It’s the right thing to do for our democracy.”
The Democratic incumbent also weighed in on November’s split-ticket dynamic.
“I think elections are about a choice, and this runoff election is about competence and character. And, as it turns out on both of those fronts, there is a world of difference, a world of difference between me and my opponent,” he said. “I think the people of Georgia are seeing that, which is why we saw the kind of ticket splitting we saw during the general election.”
Herschel Walker, meanwhile, has scaled back his presence on the campaign trail in the final days. His campaign has also restricted reporters from being within 20 feet of the candidate.
Walker held one campaign event on Saturday: a tailgate-style meet-and-greet with supporters outside of Mercedes-Benz stadium before the SEC Championship game. He did not give a stump speech.
He has also avoided taking questions and interviews from reporters, choosing instead to talk with friendlier audiences like Fox News — often with other GOP Senators joining him.
On Sunday, Walker campaigned in Loganville with Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana and Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina. The two Republican Senators said that the race was critical to restoring checks and balances to the Biden administration.
In his brief remarks, Walker on Sunday strongly encouraged his supporters to vote on Tuesday. “Come rain, sun or shine, we’ve got to get out there and let them know we’re sick and tired of this.” He also had harsh words for Warnock, calling him a “false prophet” and a “wolf in sheep’s clothing.”
Both candidates have jam-packed schedules on Monday: Walker is set to make several stops in mountainous North Georgia — a big basket of Republican votes. Warnock is set to address students at Georgia Tech and hold an election eve rally in Atlanta.
Warnock for Georgia.....