Five Key Moments From the Walker-Warnock Debate in Georgia - The New York Times

• Oct. 14, 2022Updated 11:08 p.m. ET

The statement betwixt Senator Raphael Warnock and his little experienced Republican challenger, Herschel Walker, had its stock of crisp clashes, arsenic the 2 candidates successful 1 of the country’s most-watched Senate races faced disconnected for their 1 and lone debate.

Mr. Walker, a shot prima and first-time candidate, surpassed debased expectations, mostly hewing to his strategy of tying his hostile to President Biden, whose support ratings stay underwater successful the pivotal plaything state. Mr. Warnock, a pastor-turned-politician, tried to formed Mr. Walker arsenic unfit for bureau due to the fact that of his argumentation positions and idiosyncratic baggage.

Here are standout moments from the debate.

A badge comes out.

Mr. Walker’s veracity has been a large contented successful the campaign, arsenic helium has been accused of misrepresenting topics, including his résumé, his charitable donations and his fig of children. Mr. Warnock tried to usage an speech implicit transgression to impeach his hostile of lying.

Mr. Warnock past referred to the clip his hostile claimed to person been a constabulary serviceman and an F.B.I. agent. Mr. Walker had made the claims arsenic precocious arsenic 2019, erstwhile helium told an assemblage that helium was an F.B.I. cause — which helium has ne'er been. He has besides claimed to enactment with the Cobb County Police Department successful Georgia. The section told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that determination was nary grounds of him moving there.

In effect astatine the debate, Mr. Walker pulled retired what appeared to beryllium a badge earlier being reprimanded by a moderator for violating a prohibition against utilizing “props.” Mr. Walker replied, “Well, it’s not a prop. This is real.”

A displacement from Walker connected abortion.

The astir notable speech implicit termination rights wasn’t astir accusations that Mr. Walker paid for an ex-girlfriend’s procedure. Instead, it was an evident alteration successful policy.

In May, Mr. Walker said a prohibition connected termination should person nary exceptions, pushing for a much expansive connection than the six-week prohibition passed by the Republican-controlled State Legislature. “Like I say, I judge successful life. I judge successful life,” helium told reporters.

On the statement stage, helium softened that position, implying that helium backs the six-week measure that includes exceptions for rape, incest and beingness of the mother. He past turned to Mr. Warnock’s stance, saying the pastor backs nary limits connected the process and is ignoring “the babe successful the country arsenic well.”

Painting 1 different arsenic ‘desperate.’

In 1 notable exchange, Mr. Walker tried to flip the publication connected Mr. Warnock, aft the pastor skirted questions astir whether an Atlanta flat gathering owned by Ebenezer Baptist Church had evicted tenants. The apartments are for radical experiencing homelessness oregon with intelligence disabilities.

Mr. Warnock tried to formed Republicans arsenic “desperate” for trying to “sully” a religion attended by civilian rights icons, including erstwhile Representative John Lewis, of Georgia, and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Mr. Walker wasn’t cowed, returning to the contented a question aboriginal to formed Mr. Warnock arsenic the “desperate” one.

“It’s OK to talk the truth. Do not carnivore mendacious witness, senator,” shouted Mr. Walker, who said the evictions were “written astir successful the paper.”

Walker reverses connected the 2020 election.

In an predetermination that has been influenced by the positions of erstwhile President Donald J. Trump, Mr. Walker made different notable reversal.

In the past, Mr. Walker has repeatedly questioned the results of the 2020 predetermination and dispersed mendacious stolen-election theories. Immediately aft the 2020 race, helium did not state Mr. Biden the rightful winner.

“I tin warrant you, Joe Biden didn’t get 50 cardinal radical to ballot for him, but yet, radical deliberation that he’s won this election,” Mr. Walker said successful a Fox News interview successful December 2020. Mr. Biden won much than 81 cardinal votes.

Mr. Walker has since tried to temper those statements. In May, during his primary, he told an interviewer, “I deliberation thing happened; I don’t cognize what it was, but I said thing happened truthful radical are angry.”

But connected Friday night, erstwhile asked whether Mr. Biden had defeated Mr. Trump, helium sounded a antithetic note.

“President Biden won and Raphael Warnock won,” helium said.

On questions of democracy, some candidates said they would respect the results of the election, careless of its outcome.

Looking up to 2024.

The 2 men veered from 1 different connected a question of whether they would enactment their party’s leaders if they won the statesmanlike information successful 2024.

Mr. Walker rapidly answered successful the affirmative, saying “President Trump is my friend.” He utilized the infinitesimal to deed Mr. Biden — and by hold Mr. Warnock — for withdrawing troops from Afghanistan, a determination helium described arsenic abandoning an ally.

For Mr. Warnock, however, the question appeared much difficult. He did not reply directly, saying helium had not “spent a minute” reasoning astir it and noting that helium was much focused connected the predetermination astatine hand.