CANTON, Ga. — The battle for control of the U.S. Senate is playing out in Georgia’s fierce runoff campaign between Democrat incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock and GOP challenger Herschel Walker.
Thursday night, Sen.Ted Cruz, (R) Texas, campaigned with Walker in Canton, northwest of Atlanta, while Warnock campaigned in downtown Atlanta.
The runoff election to decide it all is on Dec. 6.
A crowd of Walker supporters crammed into a large tent in a parking lot in Canton, shouting, “Herschel! Herschel! Herschel!” and cheering for Cruz, too, as the two embraced on stage and waved.
"You have the chance to save this country,” Cruz told the Walker supporters, urging them to go back to the polls and vote again for Walker, in the runoff. “And the rest of the country is waiting on you."
Control of the Senate could depend on whether Walker or Warnock wins the runoff, and on the outcomes of two other close Senate races, in Arizona and Nevada, where votes were still being counted Thursday night from Tuesday’s general election.
"I can promise you this,” Walker told the crowd, “I'm not going to Washington to make friends, I'm going to Washington to do my job. That's what he (Warnock) should have done. I'm going to Washington to do my job."
Warnock, earlier Thursday in downtown Atlanta at the John Lewis mural, also urged supporters to vote in the runoff.
"Are you ready to do this one more time?” Warnock asked, as the crowd responded with cheers.
Warnock is focusing on his record in the Senate, such as capping insulin costs, and working across the aisle with Republicans on issues important to Georgia.
"It's about competence, and it's about character," Warnock said.
Walker is promising he would oppose Democrats' legislation and support issues important to conservative Georgians.
"They (Democrats) want to change everything about this country, they want to change it. And I say, right now, we got the B Team in. We got the B Team in, it's time to put the A Team in. It is time to put the A Team in."
Cruz said he is confident that Walker would be an unwavering GOP vote in what the Texas senator hopes will be a GOP Senate.
“He wants to bring back prosperity that we had not very long ago," Cruz said.
Walker and Warnock are not saying yet if each of them will invite former President Trump or President Biden to campaign.
But with all that's at stake, more national political powerbrokers are likely to be in Georgia before Dec. 6, as the path to control of the Senate once again runs through Georgia.