Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock was hoping to push back a challenge from Republican football legend Herschel Walker on Tuesday night in their runoff election that will decide the final U.S. Senate seat.
With Democrats already assured a Senate majority, the race will determine whether the party has a 51-49 advantage or a 50-50 edge with U.S. vice-president Kamala Harris's tiebreaking vote. Last year, runoff victories by Warnock and fellow Georgia Democrat Jon Ossoff gave Democrats control of the chamber for the first two years of President Joe Biden's term.
In the November election, Warnock led Walker by about 37,000 votes out of almost four million but fell shy of a majority, triggering the second round of voting. About 1.9 million run-off votes already had been cast by mail and during early voting, an advantage for Democrats whose voters more commonly cast ballots this way. Republicans typically fare better on election day itself.
The extended campaign became a bitter fight between two Black men in a major Southern state: Warnock, the state's first Black senator and the senior minister of the Atlanta church where Martin Luther King Jr. preached, and Walker, a former University of Georgia football star and political novice backed by former U.S. president Donald Trump.
A Warnock victory would solidify Georgia's status as a battleground heading into the 2024 presidential election. A win for Walker, however, could be an indication of Democratic weakness, especially given that Georgia Republicans swept every other statewide contest last month.
Walker awaited results Tuesday night at the College Football Hall of Fame in downtown Atlanta, while Warnock was at a nearby hotel.
A 51-49 Democratic advantage in the Senate would mean that the party would no longer have to negotiate a power-sharing deal with Republicans and won't have to rely on Harris to break as many tie votes.
In November, Walker, 60, ran more than 200,000 votes behind Republican Gov. Brian Kemp after a campaign dogged by his meandering campaign speeches and by damaging allegations, including claims that he paid for two former girlfriends' abortions — accusations that he denied.
Voting went smoothly Tuesday, despite some cold, rainy conditions in some parts early in the day. Stephanie Jackson Ali, policy director for the progressive New Georgia Project Action Fund, said the group had seen few issues around the state, with lines advancing and equipment issues being addressed promptly.
Voting Tuesday in Atlanta, Tom Callaway praised the Republican Party's strength in Georgia and said he'd supported Kemp in the opening round of voting. But he cast his ballot for Warnock because he didn't think Walker "has the credentials to be a senator."
"I didn't believe he had a statement of what he really believed in or had a campaign that made sense," Callaway said.
Warnock, whose 2021 victory was in a special election to serve out the remainder of Republican Sen. Johnny Isakson's term, said he believed he had convinced enough voters, including independents and moderate Republicans, that he deserved a full term.
"They know this race is about competence and character," Warnock said. Walker, too, predicted victory and likened the contest to his leading Georgia to the 1980 national championship: "I love winning championships."
Biden, Trump not welcome
After the general election, Biden, who has struggled with low approval ratings, promised to help Warnock in any way he could, even if it meant staying away from Georgia. Warnock campaigned instead with former U.S. president Barack Obama.
Wary of possible backlash, Walker avoided campaigning with Trump until the campaign's final day, when the pair conducted a conference call Monday with supporters.
Walker's candidacy was the Republican's last chance to flip a Senate seat this year. Mehmet Oz of Pennsylvania, Blake Masters of Arizona, Adam Laxalt of Nevada and Don Bolduc of New Hampshire, all Trump loyalists, lost competitive Senate races that Republicans considered part of their path to a majority.
Walker separated himself from Trump in one notable way. Trump has spent two years falsely claiming that his loss in Georgia and nationally was fraudulent, despite being rebuked by numerous federal and local officials and a long list of courts.
At his lone debate against Warnock in October, Walker was asked whether he'd accept the results even if he lost. He replied with one word: "Yes."