On the Georgia Trail: Walker calls Senate race a ‘spiritual battle’

NEWNAN — Campaigning with a Democrat who recently abandoned the party, Republican Herschel Walker called his U.S. Senate race against Raphael Warnock “a spiritual battle.”

Walker made the remarks at a sunny rally in this west Georgia city. Roughly 200 supporters turned out to hear Walker speak, many wearing shirts and hats backing Walker or former President Donald Trump.

Former U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii was cheered as she explained why she departed the Democratic Party a few weeks earlier. Gabbard, who ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomintion for president in 2020, is now an independent.

“We as Americans right now are facing a threat to our freedoms, and that threat is not coming from another country,” she said. “That threat is coming from leaders who are abusing their power to serve their own selfish interests, seeking to take away our freedoms.”

She accused Democratic leaders of “weaponizing” public institutions such as the Department of Justice, the FBI and the Department of Education. As an example, she cited the debate over what is taught in public school classrooms.

Walker delivered what has become a familiar stump speech, lambasting Democrats for inflation and high crime rates. And, as he often does, he peppered his remarks with religious references.

“This is a spiritual battle,” he said. “And we know a spiritual battle stars God, and God needs warriors.”