Warnock, Walker to participate in Georgia Senate debate on Oct. 14

Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) is set to participate in a televised debate next month against Herschel Walker, his Republican challenger in the state’s Senate race. 

A spokesperson for Warnock’s campaign team confirmed with Savannah, Ga., Nexstar affiliate WSAV on Tuesday that the incumbent lawmaker will participate in the debate, scheduled for Oct. 14.

Nexstar also owns The Hill.

The October debate will air on Nexstar’s three TV stations in Georgia. The campaigns wrangled for months over how many and in which debates the candidates would participate. Last month, Walker said he had accepted the WSAV invitation. After weeks of negotiations, Warnock, who had initially accepted three other debates, agreed as well. The Democrat also wants Walker to commit to another debate, either in Macon or the state capital.

“Herschel Walker, I’ll see you on the stage in Savannah on October 14th,” Warnock said in a tweet on Tuesday. “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.” 

In a separate statement, Warnock campaign manager Quentin Fulks said that Warnock, who defeated former Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) in a special election early last year, is ready to speak to residents about his work.

“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.” 

Walker’s campaign team separately confirmed with The Hill that the Republican is ready to debate Warnock in Savannah.

“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.”

A recent Emerson College Polling survey found that 46 percent of Georgia respondents polled supported Walker, a former professional football player, in November’s midterm election, while 44 percent of likely voters surveyed supported Warnock. 

The Warnock-Walker race is one of the marquee Senate races of the 2022 midterms and comes as Republicans are eager to flip the upper chamber after losing the majority following the special elections in Georgia last year.