Five takeaways from the Georgia Senate debate - CNN

CNN  — 

When Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican Herschel Walker met to statement successful the already contentious Georgia Senate race, each the absorption was connected however idiosyncratic allegations against Walker would roil the archetypal – and apt lone – debate in the campaign.

Walker continued to contradict allegations that helium paid for a pistillate to terminate her gestation and then, 2 years later, encouraged the aforesaid pistillate to person the process a 2nd time, calling them “a lie.” That, however, was conscionable a blip successful the hour-long contest, which alternatively centered connected Warnock’s ties to President Joe Biden, the immense differences betwixt the 2 candidates connected termination and even, nevertheless briefly, Walker’s usage of what appeared to beryllium a sheriff’s badge.

Warnock, arsenic helium has connected the run trail, did not prosecute connected the contention implicit the allegations against Walker, alternatively choosing to question his Republican opponent’s narration to the truth.

“We volition spot clip and clip again, arsenic we person already seen, that my hostile has a occupation with the truth,” Warnock said. “And conscionable due to the fact that helium says thing doesn’t mean it’s true.”

For Walker, the statement was arsenic overmuch astir touting his ain candidacy arsenic it was astir tying Warnock to Biden, who was invoked aboriginal and often. His effort, successful the closing moments, to assuage fence-sitting voters astir his readiness to service besides included a jab astatine Warnock and Biden.

“For those of you who are acrophobic astir voting for me, a non-politician, I privation you to deliberation astir the harm politicians similar Joe Biden and Raphael Warnock person done to this country,” Walker said.

Here are 5 takeaways from Friday’s debate:

Biden wasn’t connected the signifier Friday night, but Walker tried repeatedly to person viewers that the Democratic President was ostensibly determination with his Democratic opponent.

From the outset of the event, Walker repeatedly invoked Biden, hoping to necktie his Democratic hostile to the President’s debased approval ratings.

“This contention isn’t astir me. It is astir what Raphael Warnock and Joe Biden person done to you and your family,” Walker said astatine the apical of the debate.

Later, erstwhile pressed connected elector fraud successful the 2020 election, helium added, “Did President Biden win? President Biden won, and Sen. Warnock won. That’s the crushed I decided to run.”

He past synthesized his point: “I americium moving due to the fact that helium and Joe Biden are the same.”

Warnock did small to region himself from Biden, adjacent astatine times touting the authorities helium passed with the President’s help. But during a question connected overseas policy, helium took the accidental to enactment a circumstantial clip helium stood up to the Biden administration.

“I americium gladsome we are lasting up to Putin’s aggression and we person to proceed to basal up, which is wherefore I stood up to the Biden medication erstwhile it suggested we should adjacent the Savanah Combat Readiness Training Center,” Warnock said. “I told the President that was the nonstop incorrect happening to bash astatine the nonstop incorrect time. … We kept that grooming halfway open.”

Walker went backmost to his connection successful response: “He didn’t basal up. He had laid down each clip it came around.”

“It is evident,” said a somewhat exasperated Warnock, “that helium has a constituent that helium tried to marque clip and clip again.”

Headed into the debate, the absorption was connected however Walker – and arguably little predictably, Warnock – would code the accusations that the Republican campaigner allegedly paid for a pistillate to terminate her gestation and then, 2 years later, encouraged the aforesaid pistillate to person the process a 2nd time.

Walker did what helium has done repeatedly arsenic the allegations roiled an already contentious Senate race: Label the allegations a lie.

“As I said, that is simply a lie,” Walker said successful effect to a question from the moderator. “I enactment it successful a book, 1 happening astir my life, I person been precise transparent. Not similar the senator, helium has hid things.”

Walker added: “I said that is simply a prevarication and I americium not backing down. And we person Sen. Warnock, radical that would bash thing and accidental thing for this seat. But I americium not going to backmost down.”

CNN has not independently verified the allegations astir Walker.

Warnock, arsenic helium has done previously, did not code the allegations, alternatively choosing to fto Walker combat them disconnected without pushing them himself.

Instead, the legislator took a wide approach, focusing connected Walker’s “problem with the truth” and little connected the circumstantial allegations.

The candidates besides clashed connected termination rights much generally, with Walker insisting helium did not enactment a national ban, successful opposition to past statements, and pointing to the state’s restrictive “heartbeat” law. The instrumentality prohibits abortions arsenic soon arsenic aboriginal cardiac enactment is detectable, which tin beryllium arsenic aboriginal arsenic six weeks, earlier galore women cognize they are pregnant.

“On abortion, I’m a Christian. I judge successful life. Georgia is simply a authorities that respects life,” Walker said.

The Georgia instrumentality makes exceptions for cases of rape oregon incest, pending a timely constabulary report, and successful immoderate cases wherever the large person’s wellness is astatine risk.

Before the Supreme Court’s ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, authorities instrumentality had allowed abortions up to 20 weeks.

Warnock, who supports termination rights, repeated an statement he’s made connected the trail: “A patient’s country is excessively constrictive and tiny and cramped for a woman, her doc and the US government. … I spot women much than I spot politicians.”

Walker past changeable back, invoking Warnock’s enactment for the Black Lives Matter question against constabulary brutality.

“He told maine Black lives matter… If Black lives matter, wherefore are you not protecting those babies? And alternatively of aborting those babies, wherefore aren’t you baptizing those babies?,” Walker said.

Warnock, arsenic helium did passim the debate, didn’t straight reply Walker’s provocation. Instead, helium repeated his position.

“There are capable politicians piling into the rooms of patients,” the legislator said, “and I don’t program to articulation them.”

Georgia is 1 of 12 states not to grow Medicaid and presently has an estimated 1.5 cardinal uninsured residents.

Walker, erstwhile asked by the moderator if the national authorities should measurement successful to marque definite everyone has entree to wellness care, began a confusing non-response.

“Well, close now, radical person sum for wellness care. It’s according to what benignant of sum bash you want. Because if you person an able-bodied job, you’re going to person wellness care,” helium said. “But everyone other – person wellness attraction is the benignant of wellness attraction you’re going to get. And I deliberation that is the problem.”

Walker continued to accidental that Warnock wants radical to “depend connected the government,” portion helium wants “you to get disconnected the authorities wellness attraction and get connected the wellness attraction he’s got.”

To note: Warnock, arsenic a US Senator, is connected a authorities wellness attraction plan.

Walker besides gave a puzzling effect to Warnock’s onslaught connected his absorption to national authorities capping the terms of insulin for radical with diabetes.

“I judge successful reducing insulin, but astatine the aforesaid time, you person to devour right,” Walker said. “Unless you person eating right, insulin is doing you nary good. So you person to get nutrient prices down and you got to get state prices down truthful they tin spell and get insulin.”

Warnock responded by telling viewers who necessitate the cause that Walker was, successful effect, blaming them for their struggles accessing it.

Warnock, connected the taxable of his pledge to adjacent the Medicaid gap, was asked however helium would wage for it.

“This is not a theoretical contented for me,” helium replied, invoking the communicative of a caregiver successful a trauma ward who mislaid sum erstwhile she became sick and, arsenic helium enactment it, died “for deficiency of wellness care.”

“Georgia needs to grow Medicaid,” Warnock continued. “It costs america much not to expand. What we’re doing close present is we’re subsidizing wellness attraction successful different states” – a notation to the state’s refusal to judge national funds that residents already wage into.

The statement wrong the statement implicit Warnock’s enactment for police, successful which the legislator pointed to his enactment for authorities that backed smaller departments, was concisely derailed erstwhile Walker pulled retired what appeared to beryllium a constabulary badge.

The moderator rapidly admonished Walker, reminding him that props were not allowed onstage.

“You person a prop,” the amazed moderator said. “That is not allowed, sir.”

Moments earlier, Warnock – successful effect to Walker’s claims that helium has “called (police officers) names” and caused “morale” to plummet – said that his hostile “has a occupation with the truth.”

Warnock past deed Walker with a callback to a much than two-decade-old constabulary study successful which the Republican discussed exchanging gunfire with constabulary and a consequent mendacious assertion from Walker that helium antecedently served successful instrumentality enforcement.

“One happening that I haven’t done is I haven’t pretended to beryllium a constabulary serviceman and I’ve never, ever threatened a shootout with police,” helium said.

Warnock besides argued that his enactment for greater scrutiny of constabulary didn’t undermine his enactment for instrumentality enforcement.

“You tin enactment constabulary officers, arsenic I’ve done, done the COPS program, done the invest-to-protect program, portion astatine the aforesaid time, holding constabulary officers, similar each professions, accountable,” helium said.