A second debate in the ongoing U.S. Senate race in Georgia was scheduled for Sunday night, and Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) alongside a Libertarian contender showed up — but Herschel Walker, the deception-peddling, Trump-backed GOP contender who stands accused of problems including domestic violence was absent.
“Well, if Mr. Walker were here, I’d ask him about this disturbing history of violence that we’ve seen from him,” Warnock remarked. “And we’re not just talking about one woman but multiple women. He threatened to kill his ex-wife, put a gun to her head. He’s threatened other women. When asked about that, he really hasn’t given account for this kind of violence. And I want to know from him why he thinks he’s ready to represent the people of Georgia and if he’s ready to face up to this history of violence as he talks about representing us in the Senate.”
“He’s suggested that I, a preacher, don’t believe in redemption,” Warnock added at the debate. “I preach about redemption every Sunday. And I believe in redemption. And one of the things I’ve learned about redemption is that you have to confess. You have to acknowledge and be honest about the problem, and he has not done that. At the end of the day, this race is not about who’s been redeemed. This race is about who’s ready to represent the people of Georgia in the United States Senate. By not showing up tonight for the job interview, by giving nonsensical answers about this history of violence, Herschel Walker shows he’s not ready.”
Warnock also called out the Republican candidate’s lies about his business experience. Among other examples, Walker claimed in February of this year: “I still have about 250 people that sew drapery and bedspreads for me.” Two companies the candidate was potentially referencing were both defunct at the time of those remarks, and there is no indication he was responsible for the founding or primary leadership of either, despite tangential — and years-old — connections and Walker’s claims of such.
At the first debate, Warnock also spotlighted Walker’s consistent disregard for basic facts. Among other examples, Walker has claimed over the years that he led the largest upholstery company in the United States and the largest minority-owned food company in the country. Neither of these claims were accurate. “People just think of me as a football player. I started a company that became the largest minority-owned food company in the United States,” Walker said in February. Warnock, during the first debate, was ready. “We will see time and time again, as we have already seen, that my opponent has a problem with the truth,” he said. “And just because he says something doesn’t mean it’s true.” If no candidate passes 50 percent in November, the race will head to a runoff election that could — once again — decide control of the Senate. The subsequent face-off will put just the top two finishers from November against each other.
Herschel Walker has yet to answer for his disturbing history of violence. pic.twitter.com/Q8ZzLMTmfk
— Reverend Raphael Warnock (@ReverendWarnock) October 16, 2022
