Political Rewind: $300M spent in top races; ad focuses on Walker's domestic violence; rural voters

Credit: The 2022 midterm election promises to be expensive, with almost $300 million spent in ad sales between the gubernatorial and U.S. Senate race.

The panel:

Adrienne Jones, @adriennemjns, professor of political science and director of pre-law, Morehouse College

Greg Bluestein, @bluestein, political reporter, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Charles Bullock, professor of political science, University of Georgia

Rick Dent, VP, Matrix Communications

The breakdown:

1. Gov. Brian Kemp, Stacey Abrams, Sen. Raphael Warnock, and Herschel Walker spend $300 million in the race for governor and senate race. 

• Democrats are outspending their Republican counterparts.
• This comes after two expensive Senate races in 2020.

2. New ad focuses on Walker's domestic violence issues with an ex-wife. 

• This new ad from a pro-Warnock super PAC began running this morning.
• The narrator starts by saying, "Herschel Walker has repeatedly threatened to kill his ex-wife. He held a razor to her throat and threatened to kill her."
• The Walker campaign says these words from his wife come from a joint interview where they both talked about this mental health. 
• According to Emerson College, Walker leads the incumbent Warnock by two points.

3. Abrams' campaign comes out with positive ads on tax issues and her plans to spend the surplus. 

• But Kemp has fired back with a new ad about his refusal to shut down during COVID. 
  • The record surplus is due in part to federal funds from President Biden's American Rescue Plan Act. 
• In the Emerson College poll, Kemp leads Abrams by 4 points.

4. Attack ad from campaign focuses on inflation.  

• Pro-Walker PAC releases ad blaming Warnock for inflation.

• Joe Biden has a 42% approval rating in Georgia and a 57% disapproval rating.

   

5. Abrams' campaign focusing on rural GA.

• Abrams stumped for votes in Camilla, GA. 
  • She visited all of Georgia’s 159 counties in her 2018 bid for governor as well. 

6. A look at the down-ballot races in Georgia.

• For attorney general, incumbent Chris Carr faces Democratic challenger Jen Jordan.
  • Both candidates have made abortion a cornerstone issues of their campaign.
    • Jordan says if elected she would not spend state resources prosecuting women who violate the six-week abortion ban.
    • Carr says those actions would not fulfill the office.
• Charlie Bailey is up against Burt Jones for lieutenant governor. 
  • Jones is currently under investigation for his role as an alleged fake elector in the 2020 election. Fulton District Attorney Fani Willis was disqualified from the investigation after she held a fundraiser for Bailey before his Democratic nomination.

Thursday on Political Rewind: A special look at critical race theory in the legislature and how it affects our schools.