WASHINGTON — It’s Tuesday in Georgia if it’s Tuesday. … Senator Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) makes his closing argument. Per NBC’s Sahil Kaur: “We need your participation. Are you ready for this election?”… GOP challenger Herschel Walk makes his closing argument: “If your don’t vote, then you’re going get more of Chuck Schumer or Joe Biden.”… Georgia polling places close at 7:00 p.m. ET. ET. The total cost of advertising in the 2022 cycle is almost $8 billion.
But first We need to know if Democrat Raphael Warnock can win tonight’s Senate race in Georgia.
Or if he’s underperforming against Republican Herschel Walker.
Let’s begin with the Atlanta-area counties Fulton, Cobb and Gwinnett.
When Warnock won the Jan. 2021 race in Cobb, he received 56.9% of the vote. He got just below that for the November runoff (56.8%).
He won 72.5% of Fulton’s vote in 2021. In November, he received 73.5 percent in the general election against Walker.
In Gwinnett, Warnock received 60.6% of vote in the 2021 runoff compared to 58.9% for Walker last month.
Let’s now look at two counties that are strongholds of the GOP.
Warnock received just 20.5% in rural Chattooga, one of NBC News “County to Country” counties. He also got less than that for the November general election (19.8%).
Warnock won 32.7% in Forsyth County in 2021. He also took close to the same percentage last month (32.3%).
These five counties will be the first to vote when the results start coming in.
Data Download – The number of the day… $7.79 million
AdImpact reports that this is how much money was spent on digital and radio ads, as well as television and radio advertising during the entire cycle (from the day following the 2021 Georgia Senate election through today).
It’s not surprising that the top ad spenders for this cycle are the GOP Senate (spending $220.7 million) and House superPACs (spending $192.4 millions, respectively), followed by the two Democratic Senate (spending $157.5 million and $144.2 million, each).
Warnock’s final tab includes $101 million in advertising spending. This is sixth most among all committees this cycle, more than any House or Senate committee.
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Runoff Watch: The final countdown
Warnock joined MSNBC’s Joy Reid for an interview Monday night in Atlanta, where he criticized Walker as “unprepared…unqualified…unfit to represent the people of Georgia.”
Early voting data showed that Warnock finished last week with an early-vote edge and that the New York Times reports that Walker needs 60% of today’s in-person vote to win. (Data from the Georgia Secretary Of State shows Walker winning slightly more than 56% in November’s Election Day vote).
Both candidates rallied supporters on the last day of the election — Warnock campaigned alongside Killer Mike, Georgia Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff, and Florida Democratic Rep-elect Maxwell Frost. Former President Trump also held a telerally for Walker. He just hours later announced an endorsement by the Florida Republican Governor. Ron DeSantis.
The GOP’s response to the Trump controversy is familiar
The latest controversy surrounding former President Donald Trump has prompted congressional Republicans to return to Washington and face reporters. Trump claimed that the Constitution could be “terminated” to respond to the 2020 election. Trump is falsely claiming that the Constitution was stolen.
Republicans condemned Trump’s statement but did not say it meant he was unfit for office. NBC News’ Zoe Richards and Kate Santaliz report. Consider Sen. Rick Scott (Republican from Florida), who is up for reelection in 2024. Scott responded to a question about Trump’s comments as disqualifying. “I think that the voters get those things to decide.”
Trump’s latest statements also prompted John Bolton, his former National Security Advisor, to declare that he is considering running for president. Bolton, who Trump fired in 2019, said Meet The Press Now that he would “absolutely consider” running for president if any other potential GOP candidate denounces Trump’s remarks.
Bolton stated, “I believe that to be a presidential contender, you have to not just say, “I support the Constitution,””
Elsewhere, 2024 news:
RNC race Harmeet, a California committeewoman who heads the Republican National Lawyers Association (RNLA), announced Monday night on Fox News that she will be running for RNC chair. She stated that “Republicans are tired and frustrated by losing” and suggested that we need to radically change our leadership to win.
View from Sanders World:Faiz Shakir, former Bernie Sanders campaign manager, wrote an opinion piece in the New York Times sharply criticizing the proposal for South Carolina to become the first Democratic primary state.
Can you help me pay my bills? The Washington Post reports that Trump’s Save America PAC has paid legal fees for some witnesses involved in the Mar-a-Lago probe.
De$antis: Florida Governor’s Sponsorship Fund is open to donors willing to contribute between $50,000 and $1,000,000 Politico reports that Ron DeSantis could be granted access to the governor or a potential presidential candidate at his inauguration.
ICYMI – What else is going on in the world?
NBC News’ Lawrence Hurley reports that the Supreme Court conservative justices “appeared sympathetic” to arguments by a Christian web designer who wanted to stop working on same-sex marriages. According to NBC News’ Summer Concepcion, Justice Samuel Alito made a joke about “Black Santa” and children wearing Klan robes.
Democratic leaders in Congress are considering allowing a bill ending the military’s Covid vaccination mandate to move NBC News’ Julie Tsirkin or Kyle Stewart’s report.
Iran protesters are ignoring the uncertainty about the regime’s morality officers and are increasing the pressure by striking.
Former Rep. David Rivera (R-Fla.), who was awarded a multimillion-dollar consulting contract by the Venezuelan government, was taken into custody Monday in connection to a criminal investigation.
