ATLANTA — U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock said he’ll debate Herschel Walker at the Republican’s preferred event in Savannah in October — if his GOP challenger accepts a second showdown next month and agrees that the candidates won’t be provided the topics of the questions in advance.
The Democratic incumbent leveled the latest challenge in the ongoing saga on Wednesday after months of back and forth between the two rivals that has raised doubts about whether they’ll ever meet each other on the debate stage.
“It’s time for Herschel Walker to stop playing games,” said Quentin Fulks, Warnock’s campaign manager. “The job of a U.S. senator isn’t one where you know the topics ahead of time or get a cheat sheet, and Herschel Walker shouldn’t need one to find the courage to walk on a debate stage.”
The Democrat’s campaign also released a TV ad that will air this week that dares Walker, a former football star, to “show us if you’re really ready to represent Georgia.”
At an event in Emerson on Wednesday, Walker ducked questions about Warnock’s conditions, saying only that “I’m gonna debate, so I’m ready for him.” On social media, Walker said he wanted to “lock down” the Savannah debate on Oct. 14 without the topics ahead of time but didn’t immediately agree to another face-off.
“You in?” the Republican tweeted. “Let’s do it for the people.”
It’s another wrinkle in the long-running debate over debates. Warnock months ago agreed to invitations from WTOC in Savannah, Mercer University in Macon and the Atlanta Press Club.
But Walker refused to accept any of those dates. Instead, after mounting pressure, he accepted a fourth invitation from Nexstar affiliate WSAV in Savannah on Oct. 14.
The Nexstar invitation stipulated that the “topics would be provided” to the campaigns but specific questions would not, a practice that is standard for many of the outlet’s showdowns but not typical in Georgia debates. Walker’s aides have said the campaign never sought to be notified of the topics.
“It doesn’t matter what the topics are because he can’t win on any of them,” the Republican recently tweeted.
In his campaign statement on Wednesday, Warnock said he would participate in the Oct. 14 debate if the topics aren’t provided in advance and if Walker accepts at least one of the non-Savannah debates — either the Mercer University debate on Oct. 13 or the Atlanta Press Cub debate on Oct. 16.
Warnock’s campaign has also told debate organizers he’s open to a live audience, which was another sticking point for Walker. The Republican has said the prospect of an in-person crowd was a deciding factor in accepting the Oct. 14 debate.
Walker skipped showdowns with fellow Republicans ahead of the May primary, confident that he would coast to victory and intent on demonstrating to supporters that he was focused on Warnock. He repeatedly vowed he would debate the Democrat “any day of the week.”
But even after Warnock accepted the trio of invitations, Walker refused to confirm any specific dates. Instead, he delivered vague responses about his willingness to debate.
“Name the place and the time,” he said at one stop, “and we can get it on.”
That raised concerns among senior GOP officials worried a refusal could hurt his chances with swing voters in a race that could determine control of the U.S. Senate. Some urged Walker and his advisers to agree to a debate to prove the Republican wasn’t afraid of meeting the incumbent in a televised face-off.
That pressure helped trigger Walker’s surprise decision in early August to agree to participate in a fourth debate, saying he wanted an event “in front of a crowd” in Warnock’s hometown of Savannah. Nexstar proposed an audience of about 500 people in a theater in Savannah.
“This debate is going to be about the people. It’s not about some political party. It’s not about the press,” Walker said. “But the people need to see the differences between Sen. Warnock and Herschel Walker.”
Warnock has used his rival’s reluctance to frame the Republican as unfit for the office.
“I’ve been in the Senate for a little while right now, and I can tell you that the Senate floor is a much more challenging space than a debate stage,” Warnock said at a recent campaign stop.
“And if my opponent is not ready to face me on a debate stage,” he said, “I’m not sure why he thinks he is ready to serve in the United States Senate.”
The other debates are moving forward. The Atlanta Press Club this week took the wraps off its debate calendar. Warnock and Libertarian Chase Oliver will take part in the Oct. 16 showdown.
Lauri Strauss of the Atlanta Press Club said the invitation remains open — and if Walker doesn’t show he’ll be represented by an empty podium.
And Warnock and Oliver plan to participate in the Oct. 13 debate at Mercer University’s Center for Collaborative Journalism. Walker has said he wouldn’t participate because it conflicted with Sunday night football — even though it’s on a Thursday.
WMAZ13 President and General Manager Jeff Dudley said the debate would go ahead with or without Walker.
The WTOC debate in Savannah, meanwhile, would be kaput if both campaigns agree to Warnock’s challenge. Larry Silberman, WTOC’s vice president and general manager, previously said the station hasn’t figured out what to do if Walker is a no-show.
“WTOC looks to hosts these debates because we think it is a valuable service to our community,” he said.
“It is still my goal, via debate or other format,” he said, “to give qualified candidates an opportunity to make their case as to how they will best serve the people of Georgia in a fair and unbiased manner.”
