CNN
—
When Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican Herschel Walker met to debate within the already contentious Georgia Senate race, all the main focus was on how private allegations in opposition to Walker would roil the primary – and certain solely – debate within the marketing campaign.
The allegations that Walker paid for a lady to terminate her being pregnant after which, two years later, inspired the identical girl to have the process a second time, nevertheless, had been only a blip within the hour-long contest, which as a substitute centered on Warnock’s ties to President Joe Biden, the huge variations between the 2 candidates on abortion and even, nevertheless briefly, Walker’s use of what seemed to be a sheriff’s badge.
Walker continued to disclaim the allegations about him – calling them “a lie” – and Warnock, as he has on the marketing campaign path, didn’t have interaction on the controversy, as a substitute selecting to query his Republican opponent’s relationship to the reality.
“We’ll see time and time once more, as we now have already seen, that my opponent has an issue with the reality,” Warnock mentioned. “And simply because he says one thing doesn’t imply it’s true.”
For Walker, the talk was as a lot about touting his personal candidacy because it was about tying Warnock to Biden, who was invoked early and infrequently. His effort, within the closing moments, to assuage fence-sitting voters about his readiness to serve additionally included a jab at Warnock and Biden.
“For these of you who’re involved about voting for me, a non-politician, I need you to consider the injury politicians like Joe Biden and Raphael Warnock have carried out to this nation,” Walker mentioned.
Listed here are 5 takeaways from Friday’s debate:
Biden wasn’t on the stage Friday evening, however Walker tried repeatedly to persuade viewers that the Democratic President was ostensibly there along with his Democratic opponent.
From the outset of the occasion, Walker repeatedly invoked Biden, hoping to tie his Democratic opponent to the President’s low approval scores.
“This race isn’t about me. It’s about what Raphael Warnock and Joe Biden have carried out to you and your loved ones,” Walker mentioned on the high of the talk.
Later, when pressed on voter fraud within the 2020 election, he added, “Did President Biden win? President Biden gained, and Sen. Warnock gained. That’s the rationale I made a decision to run.”
He then synthesized his level: “I’m working as a result of he and Joe Biden are the identical.”
Warnock did little to distance himself from Biden, even at instances touting the laws he handed with the President’s assist. However throughout a query on international coverage, he took the possibility to notice a particular time he stood as much as the Biden administration.
“I’m glad we’re standing as much as Putin’s aggression and we now have to proceed to face up, which is why I stood as much as the Biden administration when it recommended we should always shut the Savanah Fight Readiness Coaching Heart,” Warnock mentioned. “I advised the President that was the precise incorrect factor to do on the precise incorrect time. … We saved that coaching middle open.”
Walker went again to his message in response: “He didn’t rise up. He had laid down each time it got here round.”
“It’s evident,” mentioned a considerably exasperated Warnock, “that he has some extent that he tried to make time and time once more.”
Headed into the talk, the main focus was on how Walker – and arguably much less predictably, Warnock – would deal with the accusations that the Republican candidate allegedly paid for a lady to terminate her being pregnant after which, two years later, inspired the identical girl to have the process a second time.
Walker did what he has carried out repeatedly because the allegations roiled an already contentious Senate race: Label the allegations a lie.
“As I mentioned, that may be a lie,” Walker mentioned in response to a query from the moderator. “I put it in a e book, one factor about my life, I’ve been very clear. Not just like the senator, he has hid issues.”
Walker added: “I mentioned that may be a lie and I’m not backing down. And we now have Sen. Warnock, individuals that may do something and say something for this seat. However I’m not going to again down.”
CNN has not independently verified the allegations about Walker.
Warnock, as he has carried out beforehand, didn’t deal with the allegations, as a substitute selecting to let Walker struggle them off with out pushing them himself.
As an alternative, the senator took a broad strategy, specializing in Walker’s “drawback with the reality” and fewer on the particular allegations.
The candidates additionally clashed on abortion rights extra usually, with Walker insisting he didn’t help a federal ban, in distinction to previous statements, and pointing to the state’s restrictive “heartbeat” legislation. The legislation prohibits abortions as quickly as early cardiac exercise is detectable, which could be as early as six weeks, earlier than many ladies know they’re pregnant.
“On abortion, I’m a Christian. I imagine in life. Georgia is a state that respects life,” Walker mentioned.
The Georgia legislation makes exceptions for circumstances of rape or incest, pending a well timed police report, and in some circumstances the place the pregnant particular person’s well being is in danger.
Earlier than the Supreme Court docket’s ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, state legislation had allowed abortions as much as 20 weeks.
Warnock, who helps abortion rights, repeated an argument he’s made on the path: “A affected person’s room is simply too slender and small and cramped for a lady, her physician and the US authorities. … I belief girls greater than I belief politicians.”
Walker then shot again, invoking Warnock’s help for the Black Lives Matter motion in opposition to police brutality.
“He advised me Black lives matter… If Black lives matter, why are you not defending these infants? And as a substitute of aborting these infants, why aren’t you baptizing these infants?,” Walker mentioned.
Warnock, as he did all through the talk, didn’t straight reply Walker’s provocation. As an alternative, he repeated his place.
“There are sufficient politicians piling into the rooms of sufferers,” the senator mentioned, “and I don’t plan to hitch them.”
Georgia is one among 12 states to not broaden Medicaid and at present has an estimated 1.5 million uninsured residents.
Walker, when requested by the moderator if the federal authorities ought to step in to verify everybody has entry to well being care, started a complicated non-response.
“Effectively, proper now, individuals have protection for well being care. It’s in response to what sort of protection would you like. As a result of when you’ve got an able-bodied job, you’re going to have well being care,” he mentioned. “However everybody else – have well being care is the kind of well being care you’re going to get. And I believe that’s the drawback.”
Walker continued to say that Warnock desires individuals to “rely upon the federal government,” whereas he desires “you to get off the federal government well being care and get on the well being care he’s bought.”
To notice: Warnock, as a US Senator, is on a authorities well being care plan.
Walker additionally gave a puzzling response to Warnock’s assault on his opposition to federal laws capping the worth of insulin for individuals with diabetes.
“I imagine in decreasing insulin, however on the similar time, it’s a must to eat proper,” Walker mentioned. “Until you’ve got consuming proper, insulin is doing you no good. So it’s a must to get meals costs down and you bought to get fuel costs down to allow them to go and get insulin.”
Warnock responded by telling viewers who require the drug that Walker was, in impact, blaming them for his or her struggles accessing it.
Warnock, as regards to his pledge to shut the Medicaid hole, was requested how he would pay for it.
“This isn’t a theoretical concern for me,” he replied, invoking the story of a nurse in a trauma ward who misplaced protection when she grew to become sick and, as he put it, died “for lack of well being care.”
“Georgia must broaden Medicaid,” Warnock continued. “It prices us extra to not broaden. What we’re doing proper now could be we’re subsidizing well being care in different states” – a reference to the state’s refusal to just accept federal funds that residents already pay into.
The controversy throughout the debate over Warnock’s help for police, during which the senator pointed to his help for laws that backed smaller departments, was briefly derailed when Walker pulled out what seemed to be a police badge.
The moderator shortly admonished Walker, reminding him that props weren’t allowed onstage.
“You will have a prop,” the shocked moderator mentioned. “That isn’t allowed, sir.”
Moments earlier, Warnock – in response to Walker’s claims that he has “known as (cops) names” and prompted “morale” to plummet – mentioned that his opponent “has an issue with the reality.”
Warnock then hit Walker with a callback to a greater than two-decade-old police report during which the Republican mentioned exchanging gunfire with police and a subsequent false declare from Walker that he beforehand served in legislation enforcement.
“One factor that I haven’t carried out is I haven’t pretended to be a police officer and I’ve by no means, ever threatened a shootout with police,” he mentioned.
Warnock additionally argued that his help for higher scrutiny of police didn’t undermine his help for legislation enforcement.
“You’ll be able to help cops, as I’ve carried out, by the COPS program, by the invest-to-protect program, whereas on the similar time, holding cops, like all professions, accountable,” he mentioned.
