Saturday Voting

Voters in Dekalb County, Ga., wait in line at the DeKalb Voter Registration and Elections Office in Decatur on Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022, to cast their ballots in the runoff election for U.S. Senate between incumbent Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican challenger Herschel Walker.

Credit: Khari Sampson/GPB News

The panel 

Charles Bullock, professor of political science, University of Georgia

Kendra King Momon, professor of political science, Oglethorpe University

Patricia Murphy, @MurphyAJC, political reporter and columnist, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Rick Dent, political ad expert, vice president, Matrix Communications

 

The breakdown

1. Early voting for U.S. Senate runoff sees long lines amid high turnout

  • Gabriel Sterling from the Georgia Secretary of State's office said that weekend turnout totaled nearly 200,000.

  • Statewide early voting for all 159 counties begins today and ends Friday, Dec. 2, with runoff election day on Tuesday, Dec. 6.

 

2. Herschel Walker retreats from the campaign trail

  • This past week, Sen. Raphael Warnock hosted 16 events while Walker hosted just two. 
  • Walker's TV and mail ads also lean heavily on incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp.

LISTEN: Patricia Murphy on Walker and Warnock's paths to the end of runoff season.

 

3. Political ads focus on hot-button issues and Walker's past. 

LISTEN: Rick Dent on why Republicans target cultural topics like transgender athletes in ads.

 

4. The Georgia Supreme Court reinstates abortion ban.

  • The high court on Wednesday reinstated the state's ban of abortions after roughly six weeks of pregnancy.

  • It put a lower court's ruling that overturned the ban on hold while it considers an appeal.

LISTEN: Patricia Murphy on how abortion rights continue to motivate voters.

Tuesday on Political Rewind: The AJC's Tamar Hallerman joins the panel. 

Tags: Georgia  Politics  Georgia Politics  early voting  Herschel Walker  Raphael Warnock  transgender  trans athletes  Atlanta  Macon