With two Black men running for Senate in Georgia, race takes center stage

The leading candidates for U.S. Senate from Georgia were born just 115 miles and seven years apart, both the children of poor Black families who had lived in the state for generations.

As Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican football star Herschel Walker compete in one of the most closely-watched Senate contests in the country, each carry their own experiences as Black men growing up in south Georgia during the twilight of the civil rights movement. That history has informed both their lives – and their opposing views on race and racism echoing on the campaign trail now and likely, when they face off on the debate stage in Savannah Friday night.

“23andMe has screwed us all up,” Walker said at a recent rally outside Atlanta, referring to the brand of home genetic tests often used to determine a person’s country or region of origin. “It don’t matter about your color. A house divided cannot stand, so I want us to come together.”