ATLANTA (AP) – Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock will face Republican football legend Herschel Walker for a coveted Senate seat in Georgia after both handily defeated primary challengers on Tuesday to set up a historic, high-stakes showdown.
Walker, who is backed by former President Donald Trump, defeated five GOP challengers in his race, clearing the 50% mark needed to avoid a runoff. Warnock easily defeated beauty industry professional Tamara Johnson-Shealey.
The general election matchup between Warnock and Walker marks the first time that two major party candidates for U.S. Senate in Georgia are Black.
The contest is expected to be heated as the GOP tries to take back the seat Warnock won last year, helping Democrats squeak out a congressional majority. Republicans looking to regain control of the Senate have targeted the Georgia race.
Walker is a former college football celebrity with huge name recognition. Warnock is the pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, where the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. once preached. He became the first Black senator elected from Georgia when he defeated appointed Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler in 2021 weeks after Democrats won the state’s presidential election for the first time since 1992.