With more personal allegations mounting against him, GOP Senate nominee Herschel Walker seems to have returned to his “velvet rope” strategy on the campaign trail — holding large public events, but dodging questions from all but the friendliest conservative media outlets.
The Republican’s tight-lipped approach comes as the second woman accusing Walker of paying for her abortion appeared on “Good Morning America” on Tuesday. She said that Walker not only paid for her abortion, but insisted upon it, and also made “menacing” statements about danger that could come to her if she did not have an abortion.
At a Tuesday afternoon stop in Augusta, Walker spent more than a half-hour greeting guests following his speech, but was hustled away from the handshake line once reporters tried to ask him questions.
That follows a pattern that’s played out at most of Walker’s campaign trail stops in the final stretch of the race. He delivers a relatively short speech and then either leaves for the next stop or is sequestered before greeting a long line of supporters for pictures and handshakes.
That’s in stark contrast to Gov. Brian Kemp, who almost always answers questions following events. On Tuesday, reporters peppered the governor and former Vice President Mike Pence with a barrage of queries after their rally in Cumming.
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Walker’s rival, U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, also routinely takes questions from reporters after stops, as does gubernatorial contender Stacey Abrams.
Although Walker isn’t talking about the latest allegations against him, his supporters who attended the Augusta rally said they were unfazed by the latest allegations.
Vicki Grant, who lives in Evans, said she believes Walker’s response that the latest woman’s story is a lie. And she said Walker would be a better senator than Democratic incumbent Raphael Warnock.
“I have faith in him — he’s been honest,” Grant said of Walker. “We all make mistakes, but he is much better than the alternative.”
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LISTEN UP. Our regularly scheduled Wednesday edition of the Politically Georgia podcast is up and ready for you this morning.
We look at the big names coming in to campaign Georgia’s top candidates, the famous faces missing from the campaign trail, and whether the latest allegations against Herschel Walker will change anything in the U.S. Senate contest.
Listen and subscribe at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or Stitcher.
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TRAIL MIX. Statewide candidates fanned out across Georgia Tuesday one week out from Election Day. Among the highlights from the trail:
- Former Vice President Mike Pence returned to Georgia to stump for Gov. Brian Kemp in the closing days of the election.
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC
- Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan told a group at the Buckhead Club he plans to return to the private sector “for now” after his term ends in January, but he didn’t rule out another run for public office.
- Former U.S. Attorney Bobby Christine, who stepped into the role after Byung “BJay” Pak resigned under pressure from Donald Trump after the 2020 election, campaigned on behalf of Herschel Walker.
Be sure to check AJC.com each afternoon through Election Day for our “On the Georgia Trail” feature, where we’ll recap the news and notes from the day on the campaign trail in Georgia.
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Credit: Christina Matacotta for the AJC
Credit: Christina Matacotta for the AJC
TODAY ON THE TRAIL:
- Arizona Gov. Doug Doucey will join Gov. Brian Kemp on tour stops in Douglasville, Bremen, Rockmart, Cartersville and Dallas.
- Herschel Walker’s bus tour makes stops in Richmond Hill and St. Marys.
- Stacey Abrams has campaign stops planned for Riverdale and Lilburn, where state Sen. Jen Jordan, the Democratic nominee for attorney general, is among the down-ticket candidates scheduled to join her.
- U.S. Rep. Rick Allen hosts a “coffee with the congressman” event in Vidalia this morning.
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Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
PENCE ON THE FENCE? While Herschel Walker was rallying his own supporters in Augusta, former Vice President Mike Pence was camped out with Gov. Brian Kemp in Republican-friendly north Georgia.
Pence made no mention of Walker during his remarks in Cumming. When he was asked about his strategy, he echoed Kemp in saying he would boost the entire GOP ticket, without singling out Walker.
“I’m supporting the whole ticket here in Georgia, but I’m here for Gov. Brian Kemp today because I had the privilege to know him before he was governor and to work with him during our time as vice president.”
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Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
GOP GROUND GAME. The Republican National Committee said Wednesday its staffers and volunteers have knocked on 3.5 million doors in Georgia this election cycle.
That surpasses the number the RNC hit in the 2020. Some Democrats worry the GOP’s multiple get-out-the-vote efforts, including a separate effort from Gov. Brian Kemp’s campaign and Kelly Loeffler’s Greater Georgia, may have caught up to the vaunted Democratic turnout machine this cycle.
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Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
CLOSED FOR BUSINESS. The Atlanta Medical Center closed its doors for good at midnight Monday and by Tuesday, worries for the future of the area around it went into high gear.
During a rally to bring attention to the now-underserved area, Nakita Hemmingway, the Democratic nominee for Georgia agriculture commissioner, compared a recent experience at Grady Memorial Hospital to a zombie movie.
From the AJC’s Donovan J. Thomas:
Hemmingway said she was in Grady Memorial Hospital's emergency room Monday after learning that her uncle had died as a result of a medical emergency.
“What I experienced yesterday was a scene from any post-apocalyptic or zombie movie you have ever seen," she said, describing gurneys in the hallway and lines of people waiting for care. “This is what we're dealing with right now," said Hemmingway. “...The dysfunction that I experienced at Grady is because they're already stretched thin."
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WELCOME WAGON. The Supreme Court on Tuesday removed a final barrier to U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham’s testimony before a special grand jury in Fulton County.
The court issued a short, unsigned order that lifted a temporary stay of Graham’s testimony, paving the way for him to appear in Fulton County Superior Court on Nov. 17, the AJC’s Tamar Hallerman reported.
The South Carolina Republican now must come to Georgia or face potentially legal consequences, including a possible warrant for his arrest. But the high court’s order said he could still challenge individual questions under the U.S. Constitution’s “Speech or Debate” clause, which shields members of Congress from being questioned about their official work.
The grand jury is investigating attempts by former President Donald Trump and his allies to overturn Georgia’s 2020 elections. Prosecutors want to ask Graham about two phone calls he placed to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in the weeks after the election.
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DEFAMATION. In one more bit of legal news, a federal judge ruled Tuesday that a defamation suit against Rudy Giuliani filed by two Fulton County election workers will go forward, despite a motion to dismiss the lawsuit filed by his lawyers, the AJC’s David Wickert writes.
In Judge Beryl A. Howell’s order, she also writes that Giuliani “propagated and pushed that false narrative” that the 2020 election was stolen.
Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Wandrea “Shaye” Moss sued Giuliani last year, saying he spread baseless allegations about them based on a video of them counting ballots at State Farm Arena on election night. At the time, Giuliani was working as a personal attorney for then-President Donald Trump.
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Credit: Christine Tannous/AJC
Credit: Christine Tannous/AJC
COBB CATHOLICS. Catholic families in Cobb County are none too happy with a recent Facebook post from Cobb Schools Vice Chairman David Banks — nor the response to it from school board chairman David Chastain.
The Marietta Daily Journal reports that in response to a Facebook post about the history of Martin Luther from one Cobb official, Banks’ Facebook account wrote, “The Roman Catholic Church can not be Christian,” and other incendiary observations.
Asked for comment, the chairman of the board told the news outlet: “I really can’t comment on that, other than the fact that Mr. Banks is expressing an opinion, and it has nothing to do with school board business.”
Chastain is in a heated bid for reelection next week.
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Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
STILL ON THE CLOCK. Although she lost reelection and will leave Congress at the end of the year, U.S. Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux has not stopped working on issues related to her 7th Congressional District.
Bourdeaux is hosting a forum this morning on the state of housing in Georgia, focusing on strategies to increase affordable housing in metro Atlanta. Panelists for the event in Lawrenceville include urban planning experts and representatives from local nonprofits.
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AS ALWAYS, Jolt readers are some of our favorite tipsters. Send your best scoop, gossip and insider info to patricia.murphy@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com and greg.bluestein@ajc.com.
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