Obama urges Georgia Democrats to push Warnock vote (PHOTOS)

Former President Barack Obama and Sen. Raphael Warnock on Thursday urged Democratic voters to keep pushing an apparent head start in early voting in the Georgia Senate runoff against Republican Herschel Walker, ahead of Friday’s last day of early in-person voting and Tuesday’s election day.

“If they didn’t get tired, you can’t get tired,” Obama told a crowd gathered in a cavernous former railroad repair shop east of downtown Atlanta, according to The Associated Press news agency.

«Georgia knows Georgia is better than Herschel Walker»: Warnock

Voters have already cast more than 1.4 million ballots amid an all-hands-on-deck push by Democrats to bank as many votes as possible while Republicans, especially Walker, have taken a less aggressive approach that could leave the GOP nominee heavily dependent on runoff Election Day turnout.

“I believe in my soul that Georgia knows that Georgia is better than Herschel Walker”, Warnock said. Obama told a story about how Walker once claimed he let Obama beat him in basketball, but later admitted he had never met the Democrat. Filed Under: Obama Pushes Warnock Vote. Filed Under: Obama Pushes Warnock Vote.

Obama recalled Walker’s ‘lie’

“When again and again you serve up bald-faced lies, that says something about the kind of person you are and the kind of leader you would be if elected to the United States Senate,” Obama said. Georgia voters have cast more than 1.4 million ballots, according to The Associated Press news agency.

Warnock voted Sunday after a religiously infused rally that called on the civil rights traditions of the Southern Black church, including Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Warnock occupies the pulpit once held by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Walker, meanwhile, is expected to vote on the runoff’s Election Day, as he did in November for the midterms. Filed Under: Obama Pushes Warnock Vote.

Warnock led Walker, but fell short

Warnock led Walker by about 37,000 votes out of almost 4 million cast in the general election but fell short of the majority required under Georgia law. Statewide early voting data, including some weekend and Thanksgiving weekdays in certain counties, shows higher overall turnout in the most heavily Democratic counties and congressional districts, according to The Associated Press news agency.

Still, both parties are finding data to tout as they jockey for any advantage in the final contest of the 2022 midterm election cycle, and both campaigns agree generally that Warnock will lead among early voters, as he did in the first round, while Walker will have the advantage in Election Day ballots, as he did in November. The respective margins will determine the eventual winner. Filed Under: Obama Pushes Warnock Vote.

«51 is better than 50»: Obama

Warnock first won the seat as part of concurrent Senate runoffs on January 5, 2021, when he and Jon Ossoff prevailed over Republican incumbents to give Democrats narrow control of the Senate for the start of President Joe Biden’s tenure. “That happened because of you, Georgia, and now we need you to do it again,” Obama said, according to The Associated Press news agency.

Warnock is now seeking a full six-year term. This time, Senate control is not in play: Democrats have already secured 50 seats and have Vice President Kamala Harris‘ tiebreaking vote. That puts pressure on both Warnock’s and Walker’s campaigns to convince Georgia voters that it’s worth their time to cast a second ballot, even if the national stakes aren’t as high. Filed Under: Obama Pushes Warnock Vote.