In Georgia, Walker’s Pace in the Finish Worries Republican Allies

ATLANTA — Herschel Walker was overwhelmed by negative TV ads. His Democratic opponents were preparing to flood the polls for early voting as soon as the doors opened. Just over a week left to make a final appeal to voters in the final round of voting.

But Walker was away from the campaign for five days.

The decision to skip campaigning over the crucial Thanksgiving holiday weekend has left Walker’s Republican supporters expressing frustration and concern over his campaign strategy in the final stretch of overtime against Senator Rafael Warnock. doing.

They note that Democrats are giving Republicans a head start in early voting, leading them 2-1. With him less than a week away from the general election, Mr. Walker’s time is rapidly running out to intervene with moderate conservatives who did not endorse him in the general election.

Noting the transition from the general election campaign to the runoff vote, former Cobb County Republican Party chairman Jason Shepherd said, “Herschel’s campaign needs a little more time to get everything back on track. A pro-Republican law passed last year cut the runoff campaign from nine weeks to four weeks.

“I think we’re behind 8-ball on this one,” Shepard added.

Shepard said Walker’s decision not to campaign over Thanksgiving was just one of those troubling choices. He also pointed to a series of emails from the Republican Party of Georgia urging voters to find their polling place. It contained a broken QR code An example of poor organization. And he expressed concern about the constant stream of advertisements on conservative talk radio and modern Christian stations that endorse Warnock, a senator and pastor.

Both Democrats and Republicans say they are far from ruling out Walker. Recent polls show the race remains within margin of error. Democrats also outperformed Republicans in the general election, pouring in more than $100 million compared to Republicans spending her $76 million.

Still, former football star Walker received 1.9 million votes earlier this month, 37,000 short of Warnock and about 60,000 short of the 50% threshold for a full seat.

His campaign is one of the loudest in recent memory. He acknowledged a history of violent and erratic behavior related to mental illness and did not contest his ex-wife’s assault accusations. Nonetheless, she claimed he recommended an abortion. He denied their account. He regularly delivered rambling speeches, which Democrats gleefully circulated widely.

“I think it’s fair to say that Herschel Walker is the most flawed Republican nominee of the year,” said media consultant Rick Dent.Warnock.

Still, despite spending a lot of money against Walker, Dent said Democrats “still haven’t been able to shake him.”

With the Democratic majority in the U.S. Senate already secured, both parties are struggling to frame the race on all-or-nothing terms. It will also cement the Democratic Party’s position as a competitor in the former Republican stronghold.

SuperPAC, which is affiliated with Senate Democrats, announced Wednesday that it will spend nearly $6 million on harsh TV ads focused on allegations of physical violence and abuse against Walker. The ad strikes a sombre tone, quoting Walker’s ex-wife Cindy Grossman, his son Christian and an ex-girlfriend, saying that Walker threatened them. increase. It concludes, “Herschel Walker does not belong to the Senate.”

Walker’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

Mr. Walker continues to be bombarded with damaging news. Last week, Texas county officials applied for a tax exemption for Walker’s home, citing it as his primary residence, even though he was running for office as a Georgia resident. Confirmed. The news, first reported by CNN, sparked complaints from Democrats, asking the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the state attorney general to investigate whether he violated residency rules.

Walker has not responded to questions regarding this matter. He almost stopped talking to reporters. Another Georgia Republican has accused Donald J. He has been particularly silent this week for criticizing former President Trump.

In one sign of Walker’s pursuit of moderate voters, his campaign announced this week that his political benefactor Trump’s aides and former president would not campaign in Georgia for Walker. agreed.

A representative for Walker did not respond to questions about the closing strategy. His allies say he had a personal obligation to keep him out of last weekend’s campaign, which included a memorial service for his former University of Georgia football coach, Vince Dooley, on Friday. Mother’s 85th birthday celebration Saturday.

Walker has tried to counter the vehement criticism by admitting his lack of political experience.

“God prepared me for this moment because he didn’t want a politician,” he said Monday at a campaign event in Cumming, Georgia. “I’m not a politician. I can run that football, I can run the track, and I do all the other things, I’m that warrior God was looking for.”

Walker’s campaign also includes negative advertisements about Warnock. In one of Tuesday’s major market broadcasts, a 2020 domestic dispute between a senator and his ex-wife and an apartment linked to Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Mr. Warnock is the senior pastor, was in poor condition. It was kept in pristine condition and its staff threatened to evict tenants due to low outstanding debt.

Mr. Warnock denounces the allegations as a “desperate” attempt to discredit his church. He told reporters in October that no apartment evictions had taken place this year.

In the first three weeks of the four-week runoff, Democrats spent about $46 million on TV and radio ads, while Republicans spent just over $20 million, according to advertising data tracker AdImpact.

Mr. Warnock’s message focuses on amplifying voter fears about Mr. Walker. At the spot, which opened in a major Georgia market on Monday, voters were seen watching a series of videos of Mr. Walker, including a vampire movie and musings about a pregnant cow. Viewers react with disbelief, confusion, and embarrassment.

Republicans acknowledge that the message to Walker has resonated.

“Certainly people are working hard to elect him, but they face concerns,” said conservative Georgia-based radio host and Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp. said Martha Zoller, a former aide to former Senator David Perdue.

While Democrats are largely focused on getting their bases back on the ballot, Republicans are still struggling to convince voters that Walker is the right choice.

If the decisions voters make reflect their preference for President Biden or Republicans, Zoller said, “Herschel Walker has a chance.” “It’s a lot harder when you’re making a choice based strictly on two men,” she added.

In Georgia, arguments for hard-line party allegiance have become harder as Democrats won control of the Senate earlier this month, shrinking the country’s stake in the race.

Still, several Republican lawmakers are campaigning alongside Walker, seeking to build fervor among low-ranking voters and a small minority of suburban moderates. Republican National Committee chairman Ronna McDaniel stumbled with Walker on Tuesday alongside Sen. Mark Wayne Mullin of Oklahoma.

Other prominent Republicans, including former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, have attached their names to fundraising emails to Mr. Walker over the past few days, but those who are in the runoff.

Perhaps Walker’s most important representative was Governor Kemp, who won re-election by winning over 200,000 more votes than Walker. Walker’s campaign sees Kemp as an influential voice that may motivate both conservatives and moderates to vote for Walker. The governor provided staff and resources to Mr. Walker’s cause and appeared with Mr. Walker at his campaign events and fundraising. He also cut ads that appealed directly to voters on Mr. Walker’s behalf.

“Hershel Walker will vote for Georgia. It won’t be another Joe Biden stamp,” Kemp said in the ad. “That’s why I support Herschel, and I hope you’ll join us in voting for him.”

“It was very important for Governor Kemp to put Herschel on the arm and make it a team sport,” said Ralph Reed, a Walker supporter and founder of the Coalition for Faith and Freedom. “It will be a driving message for college graduates and suburban voters who may have previously refrained from voting or were unwilling to vote.”

Certainly, voter turnout is very important. So far, more than 800,000 people have voted, according to the Georgia secretary of state, surpassing turnout during the early voting period for the 2018 general election. The surge in attendees has spread across the state, including Walker-winning counties and the blue metropolitan Atlanta area.

Democrats also called for reinforcements. Former President Barack Obama will campaign for Warnock in Atlanta on Thursday. Former First Lady Michelle Obama recorded a series of robocalls urging people to vote.

Jonathan Wiseman contributed to the report.