Fact-checking Walker, Warnock ahead of U.S. Senate runoff
When U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican Herschel Walker deliver remarks at campaign events, they tend to hit on the same topics time after time. And sometimes, they make claims that are misleading or deserve additional context.
To that end, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution recorded one of each of their recent speeches to dig further into some of the points they raised. Walker was recorded during a campaign rally in Smyrna with Gov. Brian Kemp on Nov. 19. Warnock’s recording comes from the remarks he delivered in Fayetteville on Nov. 22.
Clicking on one of the buttons below will skip the recording ahead to the portion of the speech where AJC fact-checked a statement.
Images from AJC file photos
John Lewis
When Warnock became pastor at Ebenezer’s Baptist Church in 2005, he inherited a congregation that included Congressman John Lewis, a longtime member. Warnock officiated Lewis’ funeral in July 2020.
RELATED: Ebenezer Baptist Church fitting site for John Lewis’ funeral
GOP tax cuts
In late 2017, Republicans who controlled Congress and the White House passed a federal tax overhaul centered around a deep reduction of corporate tax rates. Official estimates at the time said the bill could reduce federal revenue by up to $1.3 trillion over 10 years but that amount would increase to more than $2 trillion if the bill’s provisions were extended beyond the 2025 expiration date. The nonpartisan Tax Policy Center also determined that the tax cuts were much more lucrative to high-wage earners.
RELATED: How The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Evolved | Tax Policy Center
Arrested at Capitol
Warnock was arrested at the Georgia Capitol in 2014 during a protest on Medicaid expansion, and again at the U.S. Capitol in 2017 during a protest on health care access. Although he was arrested, charged and temporarily detained, there is no evidence he spent time in jail after either of those incidents.
Diabetes in Georgia
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 11.7% of people over age 18 in Georgia have diabetes.
Herschel Walker exaggeration
Herschel Walker has been criticized for exaggerating or embellishing various aspects of his resume, including falsely stating that he was valedictorian of his high school class and that he graduated “in the top 1%” at the University of Georgia. Walker did not earn a degree from the University of Georgia after leaving in his junior year to begin his career as a professional athlete.
RELATED: Herschel Walker’s campaign falsely claimed he graduated from college
Bipartisan legislation
During negotiations on the $1.2 trillion infrastructure package approved by Congress, Warnock worked with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, a Republican, on an amendment to prioritize creation of a highway that would stretch from west Texas to east Georgia and help connect some of Georgia’s midsize cities and military bases.
RELATED: Warnock touts first year in office at his first town hall meeting
