Ahead in recent polls of the U.S. Senate special election contest, Democrat Raphael Warnock’s campaign doesn’t want to leave anything to chance in the final days of the free-for-all race.
He rolled out an ad Tuesday featuring a direct-to-camera plea from former President Barack Obama, one of his party’s most popular political figures, to vote for Warnock to “get to work for people like you.”
“You don’t find a lot of people in Washington like Reverend Warnock,” Obama said in the minute-long ad. “And that’s exactly why we’ve got to get him there.”
Warnock, the pastor of Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church, has climbed in recent polls of the contest for U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler’s seat -- and appears poised to cement a spot in a likely Jan. 5 runoff.
Loeffler and U.S. Rep. Doug Collins, her most formidable GOP rival, are locked in a tight race for the second spot in the runoff, which is required by Georgia law if no candidate reaches a majority of the vote.
But Warnock’s campaign aims to put more distance between him and two other Democrats in the crowded race who have rejected an extraordinary public campaign by party leaders to quit the campaign.
Former federal prosecutor Ed Tarver and educator Matt Lieberman are both polling in the single-digits. Each made clear during Monday’s debate that they’re not abandoning their campaign.
Obama, who endorsed Warnock last month, didn’t mention either of the other Democrats by name. But he spoke of Warnock as a trustworthy friend he’s known for years.
“He’s a man of great moral integrity, a leader in the truest sense of the word. He’s spent his life pushing for justice, fighting to expand health care, protecting voting rights and the dignity of work,” said Obama.
Watch the ad here:
Here’s the transcript:
[OBAMA]: I want to talk to you about the stakes in this election as plainly as I can. If we’re going to get this virus under control, get folks back to work, and make sure affordable health care is available for everybody, we’ve got to send people to Washington who aren’t interested in playing political games or making themselves rich. We’ve got to elect folks who will get to work for people like you.
That’s why I’m supporting Reverend Raphael Warnock in the special election for Senate. Reverend Warnock’s someone I’ve known for years. He’s a man of great moral integrity, a leader in the truest sense of the word. He’s spent his life pushing for justice, fighting to expand health care, protecting voting rights and the dignity of work. You don’t find a lot of people in Washington like Reverend Warnock. And that’s exactly why we’ve got to get him there.
Please join me in supporting Raphael Warnock for Senate.
[WARNOCK V/O]: I’m Raphael Warnock and I know we can do better. That’s why I approve this message.
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