Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp in Atlanta, Oct. 17.
Photo:
POOL/REUTERS
Democrats know how to beat
which is why they privately hope he never exits the political stage. It’s Republicans who can’t figure out how to deal with the former president. Fortunately for the GOP, Georgia might offer some clues.
No one will be surprised if control of the U.S. Senate is determined by the race between incumbent Democrat
Raphael Warnock,
who won the seat in a 2021 special-election runoff, and his Republican challenger,
Herschel Walker,
the former University of Georgia football star. That’s one reason the contest has received outsize coverage in the media.
But Republicans should also pay close attention to the governor’s race between Republican incumbent
Brian Kemp
and
Stacey Abrams,
the voting-rights activist and progressive darling. Mr. Kemp’s lead has been significant and steady, and if he prevails on Election Day his campaign could serve as a road map for other Republicans hoping to escape Mr. Trump’s shadow without turning off Trump supporters.
In the Senate race, Mr. Walker’s inexperience, personal foibles and questionable fitness for office have dominated press coverage. Many Republican officials in the state anticipated as much, which is why Mr. Walker wasn’t their first choice. He was Mr. Trump’s choice, and Mr. Trump got his way. Absent Mr. Trump’s urging, Mr. Walker, who has known Mr. Trump since the 1980s, almost certainly wouldn’t have sought the nomination.
What’s received less attention is that Mr. Warnock has run a smart campaign aimed at swing voters. He’s done that partly by running away from a voting record that shows near-lockstep support for President Biden, who is deeply unpopular in the state. The senator has also jettisoned much of the progressive playbook being used by many…
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