2022 Elections

(The Center Square) — More than half a million Georgian voters have already cast ballots for the U.S. Senate runoff, including 301,545 who did so in person on Monday.

Republican Herschel Walker challenges Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock in the Dec. 6 runoff. Neither candidate received more than 50% of the vote during the Nov. 8 election, setting up Tuesday’s showdown.

“The largest Early Voting Day in Georgia history shows that claims of voter suppression in Georgia are conspiracy theories no more valid than Bigfoot,” Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said in a statement.

Early voting was set to begin on Monday, but some counties offered voting over the weekend after Fulton County Superior Court Judge Thomas A. Cox Jr. ruled in favor of a lawsuit filed by Democrats and Warnock’s campaign. The ruling allowed counties to offer early voting starting this past weekend.

The midterm election has yielded 50 Senate seats to Democrats and 49 to Republicans. Vice President Kamala Harris serves as the tie-breaking vote should any vote end 50-50.

Both candidates have taken public image hits in the campaign. Reports indicate Walker paid for abortions and that an apartment building owned by Warnock’s church tried to evict tenants behind on their rent by as little as $28.55.

The Center Square reached out to both candidates to clarify their positions on the hot-button issue of crime. However, neither campaign responded to the request.

On his website, Walker’s campaign called defunding the police “a ridiculous idea.”

“Crime is out of control in many of our major cities, including Atlanta, because politicians have demoralized, defunded, and undermined the good men and women in uniform who risk their lives every day so that we can be safe,” according to his website. “Herschel will fight to fully fund all of our public safety officials by ensuring that they have the staff, equipment, and training needed to keep every neighborhood free from fear.”

In a section on criminal justice reform, Warnock’s campaign said, “we need to responsibly fund the police while reimagining the relationship between police departments and the communities they serve.”

Warnock’s website indicates the incumbent favors investing “resources into the training of police officers and into building genuine bonds of community rather than sowing the seeds of distrust” and noted, “it’s equally critical for communities to trust that the justice system is designed to support them.”

A recent AARP poll found Warnock had a 51%-47% lead over Walker. Polling firms Fabrizio Ward and Impact Research conducted the poll on behalf of AARP, interviewing 1,183 likely Georgia voters with a margin of error of 4.4%. 

By T.A. DeFeo | The Center Square contributor

(The Center Square) — Some Georgia counties will be offering early voting this weekend following confusion over what state law allows.

Georgia voters will return to the polls for a U.S. Senate runoff between Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican challenger Herschel Walker.

According to the state, early voting for the Dec. 6 runoff begins on Monday, Nov. 28. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Thomas A. Cox Jr. ruled in favor of a lawsuit filed by Democrats and Warnock’s campaign that allows counties to offer early voting starting this weekend.

“If recent elections prove one thing, it’s that voters expect candidates to focus on winning at the ballot box – not at the courthouse,” Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said in a statement last week before the ruling.

“Senator Warnock and his Democratic Party allies are seeking to change Georgia law right before an election based on their political preferences,” Raffensperger added. “Instead of muddying the water and pressuring counties to ignore Georgia law, Senator Warnock should be allowing county election officials to continue preparations for the upcoming runoff.”

According to the Democratic Party of Georgia, Chatham, DeKalb, Fulton, Muscogee and Rockdale counties will offer Saturday voting. According to the ACLU of Georgia, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton and Gwinnett will be among the counties offering Sunday voting; Rockdale will also offer Sunday voting, DPG said.

“County elections officials should take every possible measure so voting is convenient for Georgians and no one is left out of the democratic process,” Vasu Abhiraman, ACLU of Georgia senior policy counsel, said in a statement.

The midterm election has yielded 50 Senate seats to Democrats and 49 to Republicans. The tie-breaking vote comes from the West Wing should it end 50-50.

Both candidates have taken public image hits in the campaign. There are reports Walker paid for abortions and that an apartment building owned by Warnock’s church tried to evict tenants behind on their rent by as little as $28.55.

By T.A. DeFeo | The Center Square contributor

(The Center Square) – The much-anticipated and widely watched Georgia Senate race is headed to a runoff.

U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Georgia, and Republican challenger Herschel Walker will face off during a Dec. 6 runoff. With the balance of the U.S. Senate potentially on the line, The Peach State will be the epicenter of the political world for the next four weeks.

Fox News projects that Republicans currently hold 49 seats in the 100-seat Senate and Democrats hold 48 seats, with races in Georgia, Arizona and Nevada still to be determined.

With Nevada’s U.S. Senate race leaning toward Republican candidate Adam Laxalt and Arizona’s leaning toward Democrat incumbent U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly, that would mean control of the Senate would come down to the December Georgia runoff if the other races stand pat.

For all the talk of Georgia turning into a competitive state, Republicans won statewide constitutional offices and picked up an additional seat in the U.S. House.

“We won massive victories up and down the ballot, winning every statewide constitutional office, reelecting our Republican majorities in the General Assembly and winning back the 6th Congressional District,” Georgia Republican Party Chairman David Shafer said in a statement.

Gov. Brian Kemp, Attorney General Chris Carr, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John King and State School Superintendent Richard Woods, all Republicans, won reelection.

Additionally, Republicans retained three open statewide posts held by Republicans who did not seek re-election. Voters elected Burt Jones as lieutenant governor, Tyler Harper as agriculture commissioner and Bruce Thompson as labor commissioner.

Meanwhile, every Georgia U.S. House member who sought reelection won.

U.S. Reps. Sanford Bishop, Hank Johnson, Lucy McBath, David Scott, and Nikema Williams, all Democrats, won re-election.

They “have proven track records of getting things done for the people of Georgia, and it is clear their constituents overwhelmingly approve of the job these House Democrats are doing in Congress,” Democratic Party of Georgia Executive Director Rebecca DeHart said in a statement. “The Democratic Party of Georgia knows they will continue to serve the diverse communities they represent with integrity, dedication, and moral clarity – fighting for Georgia families and getting into good trouble.”

U.S. Reps. Rick Allen, Buddy Carter, Andrew Clyde, Drew Ferguson, Majorie Taylor Greene, Barry Loudermilk and Austin Scott won reelection. Republican Mike Collins was elected to Georgia’s 10th Congressional District and will replace Republican U.S. Rep. Jody Hice, who did not seek reelection.

Additionally, Republican Rich McCormick won Georgia’s 6th Congressional District, flipping it from Democratic Control. McBath previously held the 6th Congressional District seat but, following redistricting, won in the 7th Congressional District.

“Policies matter and Dr. McCormick showed that improving healthcare and fighting inflation matter in the lives of Georgia voters,” Americans for Prosperity Action-GA Senior Advisor Kevin Cooke said in a statement.

By T.A. DeFeo | The Center Square contributor

(The Center Square) — U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Georgia, and Republican challenger Herschel Walker will likely head to a runoff next month, potentially with the balance of the U.S. Senate on the line.

With more than 88% of precincts reporting, Warnock and Walker were in a virtual dead heat, each garnering about 49% of the votes cast. In Georgia, a candidate needs more than 50% of the vote to avoid a runoff, and Libertarian Chase Oliver appeared to play the spoiler, picking up roughly 2% of the votes.

Voters will return to the polls on Dec. 6 to decide the race, which could determine the balance of the U.S. Senate.

Two years ago, Warnock defeated Republican incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler in a runoff. U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Georgia, also won a runoff, knocking off incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. David Perdue.

Political pundits pointed to the races as proof that Georgia’s electorate is shifting and turning to Democrats. Despite the talk of the red state of Georgia turning blue, on Tuesday, incumbent Republican Gov. Brian Kemp appeared headed to a decisive victory over Democrat Stacey Abrams in a closely watched rematch of the 2018 gubernatorial election.

While the state’s new election law was a focus of debate leading up to Tuesday’s vote, the state saw record-breaking voter turnout for a midterm election during the early voting period.

“2.4 million voters will turnout during Early Voting,” Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said in a Friday announcement. “That alone reflects that our Early Voting infrastructure is among the nation’s best.”

Raffensperger, a Republican, also won reelection on Tuesday.

By T.A. DeFeo | The Center Square contributor