The Rev. Raphael Warnock is defending his seat this fall, running for a full term in a state where voting rights are under attack and a slew of voting suppression acts will make re-election a real challenge.
His opponent is retired football player, bobsledder, sprinter, mixed martial artist, and serial wife abuser Hershel Walker.
HIS BACKGROUND
The Rev. Warnock grew up in Kayton Homes public housing in Savannah. The family was short on money, but long on faith, love and humor. Warnock and his 11 brothers and sisters were taught the meaning of hard work.
Warnock’s father was a veteran, a small businessman, and a preacher. He spent the week hauling old cars to the local steel yard, and on Sundays he preached at a local church. Warnock’s mother grew up in Waycross, where she spent summers picking tobacco and cotton, and she still lives in Savannah today. She worked hard to raise her children to know that they could do anything they put their mind to.
When he enrolled at Morehouse College, Warnock didn’t know how he would pay the full tuition. With the help of low-interest student loans and Pell Grants, Warnock graduated, earned a Ph.D., and was ordained in the ministry. Fifteen years ago, he was chosen to serve as senior pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, the former pulpit of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He was the youngest pastor selected to serve in that leadership role at the historic church.
In the Jan. 5, 2021 special election, Raphael Warnock made history by becoming the first Black senator from Georgia, defeating Kelly Loeffler with 51% of the popular vote. As Senator, Warnock is fighting for affordable health care, voting rights protection, and ensuring the dignity of working people.
ON THE ISSUES
Reverend Warnock has been an advocate for women’s health and reproductive justice his entire life. He sees the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade as a departure from our American ideals and is fighting to restore the right of Georgia women to make their own health care decisions.
Warnock is a champion for gun safety in the Senate, supporting legislation that would close loopholes in our gun laws that allow people who have committed domestic abuse to access firearms, require background checks on all gun sales, and secure funding for community violence initiatives and gun violence research.
Reverend Warnock sees climate change as a moral issue, which we must act on by ignoring Washington special interests, and instead putting effective, common sense policies in place. He believes we must accept the science, invest in infrastructure, and combat the climate crisis that is already at our door.
