Over seven million voters in the US state of Georgia will vote for a run-off election on Tuesday to elect their Senate representative, four weeks after the mid-term elections.
The run-off will see Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock take on Republican Herschel Walker. The run-off was required as Georgia law mandates that the winning candidates for state-wide posts get more votes than 50 per cent of the votes cast.
Despite the campaign blitzkrieg and a huge amount being spent on the elections - federal disclosures say Warnock’s campaign saw $170 million pumped in while Walker spent just $60
million - the result is unlikely to have much impact on the control of the Senate, which is currently with the Democrats. The outcome could, however, end the scenario wherein the Democrats have to depend on Vice President Kamala Harris’ tiebreaking vote to pass legislation.
As for the candidates, both are African-Americans. Warnock, the Democratic incumbent, is a Baptist pastor while Walker is a famous football player introduced to the election scene by none other than Donald Trump.
If the early predictions are anything to go by, Warnock, who won 49.4% votes (19,43,737) in October over Walker's 48.5% (19,07,272), has a slight edge over the Republican. According to a CNN survey, 52% of likely voters say they plan to support Warnock in Tuesday’s runoff and 48% pick Walker.
"I think a lot of Republicans are hoping we’ll be pleasantly surprised, but there aren’t a lot of indications out there to base that on," Jason Shepherd, former chair of the Cobb County GOP, told Politico.
The predictions of his win haven't made Warnock complacent. "There is still a path for Herschel Walker to win this race. If there’s anything I worry about it’s that people will think we don’t need their voice. We do. We need you to show up," Warnock urged voters on Monday, during the last end of his campaign.
Walker, a great sportsman but a political novice, too is leaving no stones unturned. The weekend saw him attempting to woo voters wherein he touched every topic, including pronouns and critical race theory to funding law enforcement.
Ironically, Walker, running for a party that is anti-abortion, has battled numerous allegations in the run up to the polls, including claims of him having paid his ex-girlfriend to get an abortion.
The election is also historically significant as this is the first time that two Black men are contesting against each other for a Senate seat in the history of Georgia. According to exit polls held during mid-terms, 90% of Black people voted for Warnock, while 70% of White people voted for Herschel Walker.
