US Senate nominee Herschel Walker and incumbent Senator Raphael Warnock face off in a much-anticipated debate in Savannah on Friday.
The race is for a majority in the Senate, which is currently evenly split, and Warnock’s seat is one of 35 seats up for grabs in November’s midterm elections.
Walker is a popular University of Georgia soccer icon. Although a seasoned public speaker, this will be Walker’s first political debate.
Warnock is a pastor who leads the home church of civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. He won his seat in a special election in 2020 to fill the remainder of the term of Johnny Isakson, who resigned in late 2019 due to ill health.
The District Live debate venue is on the small side, with a capacity of 440 guests, and no tickets were offered to the public.
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8 p.m. | debate ends
The Herschel-Walker-Raphael-Warnock debate ended just before 8 p.m. The two contestants shook hands, with chants of “Herschel! Herschel! Herschel!” ringing from the audience.
7:55 p.m. | Walker would support Trump’s 2024 run
When asked if he would back former President Donald Trump for a run for the White House in 2024, Walker said, “Of course. President Trump is my friend. I support my friends.”
7:50 p.m. | Focus on Herschel Walker’s necklace
Herschel Walker wore his St. Michael the Archangel pendant over his shirt during the debate. St. Michael is a Roman Catholic saint invoked for protection. Michael is quoted in the book of Revelation as one of the archangels fighting Satan.
7:35 p.m. | Host fines Walker for ‘prop’
In a heated exchange about Herschel Walker’s claims about working in law enforcement, Walker pulled what appeared to be a police badge out of his suit jacket pocket. Host Tina Tyus-Shaw, a presenter at WSAV-TV, quickly intervened, reminding Walker that “props” are prohibited under the debate rules. Walker reluctantly complied.
7:25 p.m. | Warnock calls for tuition reforms
Senator Raphael Warnock has trumpeted his work with President Joe Biden to forgive up to $20,000 in student loan debt. He went further in the debate and called for a reform of higher education costs.
“We need reform. We shouldn’t do that again in 10 years,” Warnock said. “College is overtaking everything else in our economy.”
Walker proposed a reform policy: “Get rid of federal funding for all colleges that increase their costs.”
7:20 p.m. | Election 2020 out of the question, says Walker
When asked about the result of the 2020 presidential election, Herschel Walker admitted that Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump and Raphael Warnock defeated David Perdue. “That’s why I run,” Walker said.
7:05 p.m. | Walker on offense
Herschel Walker punctuated his opening statement, in which he blamed Sen. Raphael Warnock for leading the Democrats in the US Senate, with a wink: “I’m here to fix the problem.”
7 p.m. | What is News Nation?
The debate is being hosted by NewsNation, the cable news network operated by Nexstar, a national media company that owns local affiliates including Savannah’s WSAV-TV. NewsNation launched in early 2021 and plans to grow into a 24-hour news network by 2024.
6:20 p.m. | The debate starts in 40 minutes
The Walker-Warnock debate will be televised at 7 p.m. The Atlanta Braves playoff game is currently in the fifth inning. Might pose a mystery to Georgians.
6 p.m. | Chase Oliver protests the expulsion
Libertarian Senate nominee Chase Oliver, who was not invited to attend the debate, spoke to people outside the venue. He wants Georgians to know that they have more than two candidates for the Senate.
“My broad platform is that it’s time we got our work done in Washington,” he said. “I want to be an honest broker”
Oliver said many other democracies have multiple parties and the fact that there are only two has prevented the necessary work.
“Because we have so much partisanship, we have so much stalemate,” he said.
He also handed out hanging cards detailing his key political ideas, including immigration reform, ending the drug war and defending civil liberties.
“My platform is about letting you be who you want to be as long as you do it in peace,” he said.
Oliver will participate in the October 16 Senate debate, which Walker will not be attending.
– Abe Kenmore
5:35 p.m. | Walker, Warnock supporters rally
Groups with signs supporting Walker and Warnock gathered outside the debate site and tried to drown each other out with slogans.
Ted Molhman came out with Herschel Walker – his English foxhound, not the candidate.
“As bad as things are, we need a change,” he said.
Molhman said he knew Warnock and thought he was a good man but too close to Joe Biden.
Joyce Daly from Savannah actually has a ticket to the debate. She is active with Priests for Life, an anti-abortion group, and Women Speak Out PAC and said her main issues are opposition to abortion and mental health.
“He’s very pro-life and he’s a Christian now, he’s found Jesus,” she said.
She hopes the debate will “help people realize that the issues Herschel is going to raise are issues that need to be brought to light.”
– Abe Kenmore
5:05 p.m. | The Lawrenceville couple are hoping to participate in the debate
Lincoln Millwood and Daphne Richardson traveled from Lawrenceville, Georgia, hoping to be part of the live audience for the debate between Herschel Walker and Raphael Warnock. Richardson said she votes for Warnock because he “supports all people and their welfare. He supports a woman’s right to vote. Regarding Walker, I don’t like the fact that we have allowed someone in this race who has a history of domestic disputes and doesn’t seem to be honest with everything he says.”
– Latrice Williams
1 p.m. | Plant Riverside is at the heart of the debate
No one can speak at Plant Riverside today and not know that a special event is taking place tonight: Network News crews have set up live shot locations along the riverfront, Walker-Warnock debate banners hang from light poles and at the entrance to the District Live debate venue. features a large window decal promoting the event.
For all the political eye candy, however, what dominates the senses the most is a smell — a Plant Riverside restaurant smokes pork in a large smoker that sits in the plaza across from District Live’s entrance. No matter how the debate ends, no one should go home hungry.
-Adam VanBrimmer
10:45 am | Savannah Democrats blunt for Warnock
Savannah Mayor Van Johnson and several prominent Democrats hosted a press event on behalf of Senator Raphael Warnock in Monterey Square. Johnson called Savannah “the center of the political universe” in a nod to Friday night’s debate.
Warnock did not attend because he was preparing for the debate.
Other dignitaries included Savannah Alderman Linda Wilder Bryan, Chatham Commissioner Aaron Whitely, Georgia House Rep. Derek Mallow, Georgia House candidate Anne Allen Westbrook, and US House candidate Wade Herring.
-Adam VanBrimmer
7:25 am | The stage is set
The media will get a first look at the venue’s setup at 1pm today when the media room opens at District Live. The performance hall is part of a hotel and entertainment district called Plant Riverside, built from the shell of a centuries-old power plant on the Savannah River.
-Adam VanBrimmer
6:45 a.m. | debate preparation
For Herschel Walker, Friday night will make his debut in the debate. He declined to participate in the GOP primary debates ahead of the May vote. He has reportedly worked with debate specialist Gail Gilcho, who frequently endorses Republican presidential candidates such as Mitt Romney and John McCain.
-Adam VanBrimmer
6:30 a.m. | A candidate in town
Sen. Raphael Warnock’s campaign bus was spotted Thursday afternoon driving through downtown Savannah toward the debate venue, Plant Riverside’s District Live.
-Adam VanBrimmer