PBS News Hour

JUDY WOODRUFF

Today marks the end of a tight and bitter run-off race between Democratic U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock and Republican challenger Herschel Walker in Georgia, these days -- these days one of the most closely watched swing states in the country. And to clarify, the outcome of the race will decide if Democrats control a tide 50/50 Senate or have a 51-seat majority. And I misspoke earlier and said Republicans. Laura Barron-Lopez joins me now to discuss what to watch as the polls close in the next hour. And, Laura I do want to emphasize this is about what happens with the Democrats. They're going to have the majority regardless.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ

That's right.

JUDY WOODRUFF

So, you were in Georgia just last week. You spent several days there. You watched the campaigns, both candidates in these closing days. Tell us about their final messages.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ

So, one of the biggest things that's loomed over this race, the general and the run-off, is Herschel Walker's scandals and competency and character. And both of the candidates, Herschel Walker and Raphael Warnock, were asked about character and competency today in their stops in Georgia. HERSCHEL WALKER (R),

Georgia Senatorial Candidate

Georgia voters are voting. Right now, I would put my character against Raphael Warnock any day, because, right now, Georgia is looking for a senator who is going to speak for them. Raphael Warnock has not spoken for Georgia. Everyone knows that.

SEN. RAPHAEL WARNOCK (D-GA)

Georgia is better than Herschel Walker.

WOMAN

Amen. (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

SEN. RAPHAEL WARNOCK

Let's hear it. (APPLAUSE) I'm not talking about his humanity. I'm talking about his fitness to serve. Georgia is better than that.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ

Warnock has repeatedly questioned Walker's fitness to serve due to a lot of these scandals, whether it's the allegations of domestic abuse, as well as the allegations that Walker paid for abortions for ex-partners. But, separately, on the stump, their speeches are very different. Walker has been much more focused on cultural issues. He's talked a lot about anti-trans -- he's his message

has been very anti-transgender athletes. And he asks on the stump speech regularly

"What are pronouns? I don't know what pronouns are," clearly referring to gender identity and Democrats saying that correct pronouns should be used for people that want to use them in gender identity. By contrast, Warnock has really focused on health care. He's focused on saying that he thinks that Georgia should expand Medicaid. And he's also talked a lot about access to abortion, again making that a very big issue in the final days.

JUDY WOODRUFF

And, Laura, you were telling us that, during these final days, both of these candidates have relied on high-profile figures to be out on the trail campaigning with them. What kind of an effect has that had?

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ

So, the difference between the general election and now the run-off for Walker is that, this time around, he had the support of Republican Governor Brian Kemp. Kemp did not give him a full-throated endorsement in the general election, this time around trying to help Walker get those 200,000 voters that voted for Kemp, but not for Walker in the general election, as well as some 81,000 Libertarians that voted for a Libertarian candidate in the general election. Now, Warnock had former President Barack Obama come out in the final days really trying to boost Democratic turnout as much as possible, again, among key groups like Black voters, young voters, Asian Americans, to try to tell them that, look,

I know Warnock has said

I have asked you -- this would be the fourth time to vote for me in about two years, but I'm going to ask you to do it again. Notably, President Trump did not go physically to Georgia this time around, the way he did in the general election. He held a tele-rally for Walker last night. And, also, President Joe Biden did not go to Georgia. He has long said he would do whatever was necessary to help Warnock, even if that meant staying away.

JUDY WOODRUFF

Something else to ask you about. And that is we know that the length of this run-off election is, what, 28 days. That's, what, less than half of what we saw in the last election, big run-off in Georgia a couple of years ago. What effect has that shortened time frame had?

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ

So, it has had an effect because, ultimately, one, the run-off was a lot shorter this time around, about cut in half, which meant that, last time, in the 2021 run-off, candidates were able to register -- register more new voters. This time around, they weren't able to register any new voters for the run-off. They had only one week of early voting, instead of three weeks. And, also, it reduced -- reduced the number of drop boxes. Now, the secretary of state's office today was saying that they feel as though that law did not restrict voters' ability to cast their ballot in any way. And they argued that the long lines, which we have seen in the early vote, not as much today, ultimately made it so that the long lines were a reflection of the fact that it wasn't voter suppression. Another big thing coming out of the secretary of state's office today was them saying that they are trying to tell counties, don't -- don't send us all of your vote totals at the end of the night all at once. When you have counted votes, send them in, because they're trying to dispel any conspiracy theories about the election being rigged.

JUDY WOODRUFF

Well, big stakes in this election, even though we know Democrats will control of the Senate either way. That one vote can make a big difference. Laura Barron-Lopez, thank you very much.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ

Thank you.

JUDY WOODRUFF

And you can find up-to-the-minute election results for Georgia''s run-off. That's online at PBS.org/NewsHour. Keep your eye on it tonight.