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With the nation’s eyes upon them, Sen. Raphael Warnock and Herschel Walker wound up their campaigns with a flurry of activities over the weekend, as Georgia voters head to the polls on Tuesday for the runoff to see which of the two will go to the U.S. Senate.
Warnock campaigned in Atlanta, Athens, Augusta, and Gainesville. Walker campaigned in Loganville on Sunday, and had five stops planned for Monday in Flowery Branch, Ellijay, Dawsonville, Calhoun, and Kennesaw.
About 1.869 million out of Georgia’s 7.007 million active and registered voters—nearly 27 percent—had already voted, according to the Georgia Secretary of State’s website. The state had accepted back more than 154,000 absentee ballots, and 1.713 million had turned out for early voting, which in most counties took place from Nov. 28 to Dec. 2. A few counties, all heavily Democratic, started earlier.
Walker and Warnock each failed to receive 50 percent of the popular vote in the Nov. 8 midterms, forcing the runoff. The new Senate is currently split 50-49 in favor of the Democrats. If Warnock wins, they have a clear majority. If Walker wins, the 50-50 split forces a power sharing arrangement between the two parties, although Vice President Kamala Harris would continue to have the tie-breaking vote.
It’s been a long, contentious, and expensive race. Warnock’s ads blanketing Georgia’s airwaves have accused the former football player of numerous scandals. Many are allegations of domestic violence involving Walker’s ex-wife or former girlfriends, and while he or his campaign have denied most of them, he has acknowledged mental health issues, which he says are behind him. He’s been accused of paying for abortions and of his company’s exploiting prisoner labor, allegations he has denied.
