Georgia Republican U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker hit the ground in full stride for his runoff against Democratic rival Sen. Raphael Warnock.
The Walker campaign reported raising $3.3 million in contributions on Wednesday after Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s office announced Walker and Warnock would face off again on Dec. 6, according to Fox News.
An additional $4.3 million came in on Thursday, Walker’s team said.
Warnock netted slightly more votes than Walker in Tuesday’s election — 49.4 percent to 48.5 percent — according to The New York Times. A Libertarian candidate also was on the ballot.
Because Warnock nor Walker reached the over-50 percent threshold, Georgia law requires a runoff.
Walker — who won the Heisman Trophy while a running back for the University of Georgia in the 1980s — characterized the new contest as “overtime” during a rally with Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas on Thursday in Canton, north of Atlanta.
“They say we’re in overtime. That means we have a runoff. I was built for this,” Walker said.
“They say we’re in overtime. That means we have a runoff. I was built for this.” – @HerschelWalker #gapol@theatlantavoice pic.twitter.com/nEGs3rSchZ
— Donnell Suggs (@suggswriter) November 11, 2022
As a running back for the Dallas Cowboys in 1987, Walker did score a dramatic 60-yard, walk-off, overtime touchdown against the New England Patriots.
@HerschelWalker has been here before. Here is Herschel walking it off against the Patriots (1987 Week 10) in OVERTIME. #GAsen pic.twitter.com/VDHayd6cZP
— Carsdani (@Carsdanii) November 10, 2022
During a joint appearance with Walker on the Fox News program “Jesse Watters Primetime” on Thursday night, Cruz said of the Georgia Senate runoff contest, “I think the stakes are enormous. Once again the fate of the country depends on Georgia.”
Cruz encouraged viewers to go to Walker’s campaign website and contribute, because the Democrats “are going to spend millions and millions of dollars trying to attack this good man, and it’s not going to work.”
The fate of the country depends on Georgia!
Bring your friends, bring your family and vote for my friend @HerschelWalker on December 6th! https://t.co/IsWbmXPlSF pic.twitter.com/RXllUiRCan
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) November 11, 2022
The New York Times reported that Republicans won 49 Senate seats to the Democrats 48 in Tuesday’s election, with Nevada and Arizona still too close to call.
So the GOP has to win either both of those races or prevail in one of them along with Georgia to take back control of the Senate.
Will the GOP take the Senate?
Yes: 84% (16 Votes)
No: 16% (3 Votes)
Republican Adam Laxalt held a slim lead, 48.97 percent to 48 percent, over Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto in the Nevada contest as of Friday afternoon.
Meanwhile, Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly in Arizona held more than a 5 percentage-point lead over GOP candidate Blake Masters, but there are still hundreds of thousands of ballots to count that likely will trend heavily toward Masters.
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) announced Thursday it will spend $7 million in field organizing efforts to get out the vote for Warnock, according to The Hill.
GOP Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, solicited donations for Walker on Wednesday, noting that the organization spent $14 million in Georgia for the general election.
The NRSC on Thursday released its first television ad of the runoff.
The 30-second ad called Warnock a “great actor,” but, “he just doesn’t act like your senator: spending, taxes, energy.”
“Warnock votes with Joe Biden 96 percent of the time, and that act is getting old.”
While @ReverendWarnock may be a great actor, he doesn’t act like Georgia’s Senator, voting for more spending, higher prices, and less energy independence. pic.twitter.com/aNUI1DWm9P
— Senate Republicans (@NRSC) November 11, 2022
In 2020, Georgia’s then-two incumbent senators lost their runoffs.
Here’s hoping next month that history repeats itself and Walker sends incumbent Warnock packing.
