Black voters turned Georgia blue in 2020. Can Warnock and Walker appeal to them now?

raphael warnock herschel walker
Incumbent U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock is running against Republican challenger Herschel Walker in the 2022 election. (Ken Cedeno/Pool via AP, File; AP Photo/Akili-Casundria Ramsess, File)

U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock and his opponent Herschel Walker have more in common than what meets the eye. Both are Black men that came from humble beginnings in Georgia, both are known as devout Christians and both are newcomers to electoral politics that embrace an identity as a not-so-typical politician.

Both men helped make history when they were nominated to run for Senate in this year’s midterm elections. It marked the third time in U.S. history that two Black candidates have run against each other for a Senate seat. Generally, it’s a rare occasion for two Black men to be on the ballot in any statewide election in Georgia.

Zooming out, Georgia has become a hotspot for national politics. It’s also a battleground state — the only Deep South state that voted blue in national elections in 2020 — with a shifting political landscape and a growing Black electorate. Also on this November’s ballot is an even more competitive race for governor.