Raphael Warnock and Herschel Walker Prepare to Debate in Georgia - The New York Times

• Oct. 14, 2022Updated 6:13 p.m. ET

ATLANTA — One is simply a seasoned nationalist speaker, accustomed to delivering sermons astir each Sunday from the pulpit of the famed Atlanta religion wherever the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. erstwhile preached. The different is simply a governmental novice whose meandering, often nonsensical oratory connected the stump tends to animate arsenic overmuch mockery arsenic it does applause.

The stark stylistic differences betwixt the polished Senator Raphael Warnock, a Democrat, and his little politically refined Republican challenger, Herschel Walker, the erstwhile University of Georgia shot great, adhd unpredictability and intrigue to their highly anticipated statement connected Friday night.

Their matchup, conscionable 3 days earlier aboriginal voting begins successful Georgia, volition beryllium the archetypal — and astir apt the lone — statement successful the state’s contention for Senate, which has emerged arsenic 1 of the astir pivotal contests for power of the chamber. The one-hour event, hosted by Nexstar Media successful Savannah, Ga., volition statesman astatine 7 p.m. Eastern.

The statement volition trial whether Mr. Warnock tin grow what polls suggest is simply a constrictive vantage implicit his rival, and whether Mr. Walker tin quiescent doubts astir his qualifications for the bureau aft a question of explosive reports describing past behaviour of his that has contradicted his nationalist stances.

Over the summer, The Daily Beast reported that Mr. Walker had fathered 3 children helium did not antecedently disclose, and much recently, an ex-girlfriend of Mr. Walker’s told The New York Times that helium had paid for her to person an termination and had asked her to person a 2nd abortion, adjacent though helium has campaigned connected his absorption to the process with nary exceptions.

Ahead of the debate, Mr. Walker has tried to negociate expectations. Last month, helium half-jokingly told reporters that helium was “a state boy” and “not that smart,” saying that Mr. Warnock was “going to amusement up and embarrass me.”

But if Mr. Walker has succeeded successful mounting a little barroom to wide against Mr. Warnock, who grounds galore of his stump speeches successful policy-heavy talking points, the face-off volition besides connection the Democratic incumbent a ripe accidental to onslaught his hostile straight — thing helium has truthful acold done lone successful advertisements.

Democrats person flooded the airwaves with millions of dollars successful antagonistic advertizing against Mr. Walker, underlining allegations of home unit brought distant by his ex-wife, Cindy Grossman, and his lad Christian Walker.

The 2 candidates person engaged successful months of back-and-forth implicit whether, wherever and erstwhile they would debate. One time aft the May 24 superior election, Mr. Warnock committed to debates successful Atlanta, Macon and Savannah. Mr. Walker, who did not statement his Republican superior opponents, would not perpetrate to immoderate of the 3 events but maintained a affirmative beforehand erstwhile asked astir them.

“I’ve told him galore times, I’m acceptable to statement him immoderate time, immoderate day,” Mr. Walker told Brian Kilmeade of Fox News successful July.

His run did not respond to invitations from the hosts of the debates successful Atlanta, Macon and Savannah that Mr. Warnock had committed to. The Walker run agreed successful August to be the Nexstar debate, and Mr. Warnock followed suit successful September.

In a Thursday greeting run memo, Mr. Warnock’s run manager, Quentin Fulks, said that Friday’s statement would “put connected afloat show the wide choice” betwixt the 2 candidates, arguing that Mr. Walker’s “pattern of lies, disturbing behaviour and positions beryllium helium is not acceptable to correspond Georgia successful the U.S. Senate.”

Mr. Walker, who has traded clip connected the run way for hours of intensive statement signifier implicit the past fewer weeks, is apt to underline the argumentation differences betwixt himself and his Democratic hostile by tying Mr. Warnock to President Biden, who is widely unpopular among Georgia voters. Mr. Walker has repeatedly criticized some Mr. Warnock and Mr. Biden for their economical policies, blaming them for higher nutrient and substance prices successful Georgia.

In a fund-raising email to supporters connected Thursday, Mr. Walker encouraged supporters to tune successful to the statement and vowed to “defeat the disastrous Biden agenda” if elected to the Senate.

Still, helium ended with a plea for much fiscal enactment to bolster his run successful its last weeks.

“It’s going to instrumentality much than 1 lawsuit connected a Friday nighttime to person voters there’s a amended prime to crook our state around,” helium wrote.