Earlier this evening, the Georgia Senate debate between Republican Kelly Loeffler and Democrat Raphael Warnock aired on CNN.
Loeffler spent the hour sticking to the script while Warnock spoke from the heart.
The appointed incumbent repeatedly referred to her opponent as "radical, liberal Raphael Warnock" or repeatedly accusing him of calling police "gangsters, thugs, bullies and a threat to our children". She also wouldn't acknowledge that President Trump had lost the election nor would comment on his criticism of Georgia Governor Brian Kemp (the man who appointed her). All she would say is that Trump had "every legal recourse."
Loeffler could not defend her record so she brought up Warnock's arrest record. For good measure she used the phrase "Russia hoax" to please President Trump. When she was challenged about dumping stock following a private pre-COVID briefing, Loeffler kept talking about growing up on a farm, the American dream and defunding the police.
Her rhetoric might be sufficient to rally the base to and keep traditional Republicans in line, but I cannot help but wonder if she would have been better off not showing up just as David Perdue saw fit to do as he skipped his scheduled debate with Jon Ossoff which had also been scheduled for today.
Raphael Warnock, on the other hand, spoke from the heart. While his voice was raspy he got stronger as the debate progressed. When he was asked if he would support expanding the Supreme Court, he responded that not a single voter had raised the issue with him and were more concerned about when COVID relief would finally come through. One might not agree with Warnock on everything (myself included), but he spoke with sincerity. The same cannot be said of Loeffler.
The runoff election takes place in just under a month. We can expect Loeffler to continue to stick to the script and for Warnock to speak from the heart. The question is whether Georgia voters will buy Loeffler's story or take a leap of faith with Warnock's sincerity.
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