Political Rewind: Herschel Walker loses his bid for U.S. Senate. What's next for the GOP?

The panel:

Donna Lowry, @donnalowrynews, host, Lawmakers, GPB-TV

Rene Alegria, CEO, Mundo Now

Riley Bunch, @ribunchreports, public policy reporter, GPB News

Tia Mitchell, @ajconwashington, Washington reporter, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The breakdown: 

1. Where did Herschel Walker's turnout fall short? 

• Looking at data from the secretary of state's office, we see that Sen. Raphael Warnock led Walker by more than 37,000 votes in the November election. 
  • During Tuesday's contest, Walker ended up gaining ground and winning by 95,000 votes. 
• Walker's gains during the monthlong runoff were due largely in part to record turnout. 
  • More than 1.9 million people voted before Dec. 6, and 1.4 million voted on runoff election day. 

2. What does Walker's loss say about candidate quality?

• The former pro athlete faced questions about abuse of his ex-wife, additional children, and exaggerations of the success of his businesses,.
• Walker’s defeat bookends the GOP’s struggles this year to win with flawed candidates cast from Trump’s mold.

3. State legislature and top executive offices still controlled by Republicans. 

• Statewide, the GOP won all its executive offices by a wide margin. 
• Gov. Brian Kemp established himself on the national stage by winning his bid for reelection.
• The state legislature will remain under the control of Republicans in both the Georgia Senate and House of Representatives.

4. Sheree Ralston qualifies to fill the district seat held by her late husband. 

• Ralston, the widow of the late Georgia House Speaker David Ralston, became the first to qualify for his 7th District House seat.
  • She is not seeking the speakership. 
• She's the executive director of the Fannin County Development Authority, which focuses on economic development and workforce training. 

Thursday on Political Rewind: The AJC's Kevin Riley joins the panel.