Report: Raphael Warnock Struggles to Amass Black Support in Georgia

Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) has struggled to solidify support among black voters in the Georgia Senate race against Republican challenger and star Georgia running back Herschel Walker.

Warnock’s campaign has tried to frame Walker as a flawed, political outsider without much experience in politics, but “some Black political strategists worry that Warnock has not elicited the reaction he’ll need from Black voters in order to earn a full term in the chamber,” Politico reported.

Polling shows Warnock is struggling to secure the same level of support among black voters against Walker as he did in the 2021 special election. In 2021, Warnock won 92 percent of the black vote, 12 points less than the latest polling against Walker.

Even worse for Warnock is that nine percent of black voters remain undecided in the race, which indicates Walker could capture a large percentage of the undecided voters. A large number of undecideds typically favor the challenger rather than the incumbent because the incumbent has a track record voters oppose.

LaTosha Brown, a Black Voters Matter activist from Georgia, told Politico that Warnock’s campaign has failed to successfully frame Walker as a bad person because both candidates are black.

“Their sole focus on [Walker] as an individual is not working,” Brown said. “He’s a Black man. A Black man being flawed, a Black man not having integrity. A Black man, not taking care of his children. Ain’t that what they think about us anyway?”

Ed Jennings, a longtime member of Warnock’s church, also told the publication black voters are interested in candidates who can tamp down the Democrats’ inflation. Warnock has voted with President Joe Biden to fuel through voting for massive taxpayer spending and has supported the president’s war on American energy.

“Georgia is not immune from everything that’s happening in the country,” Jennings said. “We’ve had a challenging economy and the basic issues for Black people are no different than anybody else. If I’m paying $4 at the gas station, that’s a problem for me.”

Inflation is the number one issue among black Georgia voters. Thirty-four percent (a plurality) of black voters believe soaring inflation is the top issue, a Marist poll found in September.

In Friday night’s debate, Warnock refused to take responsibility for inflation and, instead, blamed corporations. “There is no question people are feeling pain at the grocery store and pump,” Warnock admitted. “While we are seeing record prices, a lot of our corporate actors are seeing record profits in the gas industry and the pharmaceutical industry.”

Walker, who was roundly celebrated as having a wonderful debate performance, slammed Warnock for being a part of the problem. “Right now, families are hurting. And they are hurting because of the bills and the laws you are passing,” Walker shot back.

Warnock’s record includes voting for Biden’s $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act, despite warnings that it would worsen inflation. He voted for the $433 billion Inflation Reduction Act, which will raise taxes “significantly” and reduce GDP and could worsen inflation in the long term.