U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock made his most pointed criticism of opponent Herschel Walker to date, drawing big applause from the crowd as he described his Republican opponent as unprepared and ill-equipped for the job.
After highlighting issues he has championed in Washington, such as passing Medicaid expansion and lowering health care costs, Warnock drew a contrast with Walker. He said while he had worked to lower the cost of insulin, Walker suggested during a debate that the issue can be addressed by “just eating right.”
“You can’t lead the people unless you love the people,” Warnock said. “You can’t love the people unless you walk among the people. You actually have to know stuff to do this job.”
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
That line produced a big cheer and chants of “Warnock” from the crowd. Later, when Warnock mentioned Walker again the crowd boo’d.
“Not only is he not ready; he’s not fit,” Warnock said. “Not to represent the people of Georgia.”
Warnock thanked the crowd for the “sacred trust” of their vote that put him in office after the 2021 runoffs and said he was honored to share the state with other Democratic leaders and is “still very much amazed at all that has happened” since being elected to office.
But he said there is “unfinished business” and he needs the votes of Democrats to give him a full six-year term. Record midterms turnout was a good sign, and shows that supporters understand the importance of protecting rights and allowing Democrats to pass more of their priorities, he said.
Warnock said Democrats in power, particularly after he and Sen. Jon Ossoff helped the party win control of the U.S. Senate in 2021, were able to accomplish priorities like the nomination of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson to become the first Black woman on the Supreme Court.
At the encouragement of Vice President Kamala Harris, Warnock wrote a letter to his young daughter marking the historic nomination of Jackson. He said his work in Washington and those who are voting at home have the same goal: making life better for their children.
“It occurred to me that that’s what legislation is; it is a letter to our children,” he said. “That’s what a law is; it’s a letter to our children. That’s what public policy is; it’s a letter to our children. That’s what citizenship is; it’s a letter to our children. That’s what a vote is; it’s a letter to our children.”
