Good news for Senator Warnock
Rev. Raphael Warnock is one of the most eloquent new members of the Senate, causing the balance of power to tip when he won the Jan 5 runoff in 2021 and giving Democrats their 50-50 advantage. Because he won a special election to finish Kelly Loeffler’s term, however, he is now up for re-election to his first full term, in a race that is widely being watched again by the media as a bellwether for Senate control. His opponent in November is Herschel Walker, who has already managed to make a fool of himself in even his limited public appearances – another celebrity turned politician with a whole array of scandals this early in the race. It’s hardly a wonder Walker is being solidly backed by the former guy.
Now, Warnock, who has been steadily raking in donations and saw a surge of Democratic turnout in the Georgia primary has just gotten another bit of good news at a critical time: a Quinnipiac University poll has him ahead of Walker by ten points – giving him a lead of over 50%. This is what just one poll says of course, while other polls show a tighter race, but Quinnipiac has been notably bearish on Democrats in the past and it’s consistent with other polls shifting momentum towards Democrats as well. Democrats also managed to exceed expectations last year in Georgia in local races while they didn’t do so well in reliably blue states like Virginia and New Jersey. This doesn’t mean we should coronate Warnock as the winner just yet – but it shows the momentum is moving strongly in his favor and against a candidate who shouldn’t hold office anywhere. Let’s do everything we can to rally around a winner like Warnock and help Democrats keep the Senate in 2022.
James Sullivan is the assistant editor of Brain World Magazine and an advocate of science-based policy making