Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock and GOP candidate Herschel Walker will officially meet for a televised debate in Georgia next month, just weeks before November’s midterm elections.
The announcement ends months of bickering over the matter after Walker, a Georgia football legend and first-time candidate, refused to appear with his competitor before voters. He has conducted an unusual but popular campaign, although his frequent gaffes on the trail have raised concern about how he’ll appear on screen against a seasoned politician.
Warnock’s campaign regularly prodded Walker to appear.
The debate will take place on Oct. 14 in Savannah. It’s unclear if Walker will commit to a second debate that Warnock had long said was non-negotiable.
“Herschel Walker, I’ll see you on the stage in Savannah on October 14th,” Warnock wrote on Twitter. “And I hope you’ll reconsider your refusal to debate in Atlanta and Macon so voters can see more than once the clear choice they have in this election.”
Walker said Tuesday that his opponent should “quit complaining” and show up for the first debate.
”Tell him to volunteer to do the first one,” Walker said at a campaign event recently, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Put his big man pants on, quit complaining.”
The race is one of the key battles in the upcoming election that could determine control of the Senate. Warnock, who won his election bid in a 2021 runoff, is seeking his first full term in office.