Georgia GOP Gov. Kemp Makes TV Ad for Herschel Walker Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
By Charles Kim | Wednesday, 23 November 2022 06:52 PM EST
Georgia's Republican Gov. Brian Kemp put his popularity following his easy reelection victory earlier this month behind GOP Senate candidate Herschel Walker by making a television ad for his runoff election with Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock.
According to a report in The Hill Wednesday, the ad entitled "Partner" will start airing on Thanksgiving Day, and is part of a $14.2 million ad blitz by the Senate Leadership Fund, the super PAC run by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.
"Herschel Walker will vote for Georgia, not be another rubber stamp for [President] Joe Biden," The Hill reported Kemp saying in the ad. "That's why I'm backing Herschel, and I hope you'll join me in voting for him too."
While Warnock slid by Walker in the general election Nov. 8, 49.4% to 48.5%, neither candidate received the required 50% of the vote to win the position, forcing a Dec. 6 runoff for the key Senate seat.
Kemp easily defeated Democrat Stacy Abrams in the gubernatorial race 53.4% to 45.9%, garnering around 300,000 more votes during the Nov. 8 polling, according to Politico.
He also won about 200,000 more votes than Walker did in his race, getting 2,110,328 votes compared to Walker's 1,907,272 votes, and the 1,943,737 won by Warnock, Politico reported.
Currently, Warnock is slightly leading Walker by four percentage points, 51% to 47% in the latest political polling, U.S. News and World Report said in a story published Tuesday.
According to the news outlet, the poll was conducted by Fabrizio and associates for the AARP.
The survey found Warnock leading among Blacks, young voters, and independents in the state over Walker, the former NFL star player and candidate endorsed by former President Donald Trump, the report said.
While Warnock is scheduled to have former Democratic President Barack Obama come to the state to campaign for him, it is not yet known if Trump will campaign for Walker before the runoff election, according to the report.
"Right now, Trump is running for president. I'm running for the Senate here in Georgia," the outlet reported Walker telling Fox Business. "This is not Trump's race. This is Herschel Walker's race."
According to the report, both parties are concerned about turnout in the runoff contest now that Democrats have retained control of the Senate, making the race almost a moot point as far as national politics goes.