The Senate race between Republican Herschel Walker and Democrat Senator Raphael Warnock is turning out to be a squeaker. This race is one of the marquee Senate races of the 2022 midterms. A win for the Republican candidate in the Senate race in Georgia would mean a change from Democrat control to Republican control of the Senate.

Anything can happen in the last weeks of a political campaign but in this race, Walker looks to have the momentum. Barely. Right now RCP’s aggregate average shows Walker leading Warnock by +0.5. A recent Emerson College Polling survey found that Walker is up over Warnock by 46 to 44 percent. The polling is within the margin of error. The survey was of likely general election voters instead of registered voters, which generally makes the results more reliable.

Warnock’s internal polling must be showing Walker ahead, too. Warnock reluctantly agreed to debate Walker in Savannah on October 14, hosted by Nexstar affiliate WSAV. The debate will air on Nexstar’s three television stations in Georgia. The two campaigns have been negotiating for months over how many debates there will be and their locations. At first, Warnock accepted three other debate invitations, but not the one in Savannah. He wants to debate Walker in Atlanta or in Macon.

Herschel Walker, I'll see you on the stage in Savannah on October 14th.

And I hope you'll reconsider your refusal to debate in Atlanta and Macon so voters can see more than once the clear choice they have in this election.

— Reverend Raphael Warnock (@ReverendWarnock) September 13, 2022

Warnock’s campaign manager released a statement. Warnock wants to talk to Georgia voters about his work in the Senate.

“Someone had to put an end to Herschel Walker’s games, and today Reverend Warnock showed again why he is the best person for the job, agreeing to Walker’s preferred debate so Georgians would have at least one opportunity to see the clear choice they have in this election,” Fulks said in a statement.

“Reverend Warnock is eager to speak to Georgians about his work on their behalf and remains hopeful Herschel Walker will do right by Georgians, get on a debate stage at least one other time in either Macon or Atlanta, and explain his positions to them. If Herschel Walker can’t do that, he isn’t ready for the job of U.S. Senator.”

Not to be picky but shouldn’t his campaign manager address Warnock as Senator Warnock, not Reverend Warnock? It just sounds odd.

Herschel Walker confirmed that the debate is scheduled and he’s ready to go.

“I’m glad to see that Raphael Warnock has agreed to face the voters, he has a lot of explaining to do,” Walker said in a statement. “He’s gotten rich in office while the people of Georgia have suffered. He’s voted with Joe Biden over 96% of the time, giving us high gas prices, empty shelves, and out of control inflation. I’m looking forward to October 14th so the voters can see the contrast between us.”

There has been uncertainty of a debate between these two candidates for months. Last week there seemed to be some movement when Warnock agreed to the Savannah debate “with conditions”. It looks like the race has tightened so much now that Warnock has no choice but to debate Walker. It should happen, regardless of what the polls say. Voters are entitled to size up the candidates as they stand on a stage together and listen to what they have to say. It’s frustrating to see candidates who think they don’t need to bother with something so routine and reasonable.

Warnock has mostly been a back-bencher in the Senate. He pops up now and then to issue a statement on a topic up for a vote but he doesn’t have legislative victories to tout. He tends to concentrate on social justice issues and voting rights. Walker should be prepared to ask him about how he’s been able to double his income while he’s been in the Senate.

The $164,816 salary Warnock received from the Senate in 2021 represented just a fraction of the total income he earned throughout the year, his financial disclosure shows. The Georgia Democrat also received $120,965 for his service as the head pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta and a $243,750 advance for his memoir, “A Way Out of No Way.”

Warnock’s combined income of $532,781 in 2021 is more than double the $221,601 he earned in 2020 before he defeated former Georgia GOP Sen. Kelly Loeffler in early 2021, the Washington Free Beacon reported.

There is some hypocrisy at play here, too. When he ran against then-Senator Kelly Loeffler in 2020, he accused her of using her position in the Senate for personal enrichment.

Raphael Warnock on Loeffler: "I'm OK with the fact that she wants to make money. I just think you shouldn't use the people's seat to enrich yourself. You should use the people's seat to represent the people."

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) December 7, 2020

Let’s hope Walker is well-prepared and able to make strong points for Republicans. He should dwell on the fact that Warnock votes in lockstep with other Democrats for 100% of Biden’s agenda. That agenda has led us off a cliff. Walker should concentrate of issues families face every day – inflation, high energy prices, an open southern border, the baby formula shortage, high food prices, and failing public schools.

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