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Senate campaign hits fever pitch in final days of Georgia runoff

Story by Hannah Knowles, Matthew Brown • Yesterday 5:32 PM

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ATLANTA — Republican Herschel Walker — known largely for his star football career with the University of Georgia Bulldogs — took pictures with fans near Mercedes-Benz stadium. Down the street filled with signs reminding people about Election Day, a “Dawgs for Warnock” booth gave out pins for Sen. Raphael G. Warnock (D) and urged people to commit to voting.

Senate campaign hits fever pitch in final days of Georgia runoff© Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post

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Both campaigns took advantage of Saturday’s Southeastern Conference championship game between Georgia and the Louisiana State University Tigers to appeal to voters ahead of Tuesday’s Senate runoff. In ads broadcast to millions of people watching the game, Walker’s former football coach praised his “drive” and work ethic — while Democrats showed footage of voters reacting with disbelief to Walker’s musings on the campaign trail, including a comparison of vampires and werewolves.

Those viral comments were a tipping point for Scott Hay, 55, who said he cast his ballot for Walker in November but has come to regret it, after learning more about the GOP candidate, including allegations from his past. He’ll vote for Warnock on Tuesday.

“I’m a Republican and I’ve never voted for anything but Republicans, and I cannot vote for Herschel Walker,” Hay said as he waited outside Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Backing Walker earlier this fall, Hay said, “I thought … I’m a Georgia fan. How bad can he be? Because I don’t like Warnock at all. But he’s pretty bad.”