Warnock and Walker Face Off in Debate Ahead of Georgia Senate Election

Republican Herschel Walker and Democrat Sen. Raphael Warnock faced off in a televised debate on Friday night to make their case to Georgia voters in one of the most-watched and most-covered Senate races of the midterm season. The debate focused on candidate controversies, national politics and policies, and hot-button issues such as abortion and inflation.

Key Quotes: On abortion, Walker, who has voiced support for a federal ban, stated, “I'm a Christian. I believe in life… I'll be a senator that protects life,” and Warnock stated, “I trust women more than I trust politicians.” Walker again denied allegation that he paid for an ex-girlfriend’s abortion in 2009, originally reported by the Daily Beast (Left Bias), leaded Warnock to say “we will see time and time again tonight what we’ve already seen– that my opponent has a problem with the truth.”

For Context: FiveThirtyEight (Center Bias) is currently predicting Warnock will win with 50.3% of the popular vote, but many outlets speculate neither candidate will secure 50% of the vote, triggering a runoff election. The Georgia Senate race is being covered nationally, as it is expected to be a determining factor in which party controls the chamber following the midterm elections.

How the Media Covered it: Outlets across the spectrum covered the debate in a race that has received national attention, but most coverage downplayed the significance of the debate in impacting the election.

Good News: Both candidates proactively stated they would accept the results of the election.