The Herschel Walker and Raphael Warnock debate featured a fake police badge and lots of talk about abortion and the Bible

The first and likely only debate between the preacher and the former football star running for U.S. Senate in Georgia featured a lengthy exchange on abortion, a fake police badge, lots of Bible references and a lopsided series of questions to the candidates about their personal lives.

The Democratic incumbent, Raphael Warnock, played up his moderate side, seeking to win over business-minded moderate Republicans and suburban women voters, who will cast crucial votes in what’s expected to be a close contest on Nov. 8.

Warnock, who was elected to the Senate early in 2021 and who remains pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta — the historic congregation led by Martin Luther King Jr. — stressed that he has worked with Republicans in the U.S. Senate, and called himself a “man of faith.”

The race between Warnock and Walker is one of a handful that will decide control of the U.S. Senate.

At the outset of the hourlong debate in Savannah, Warnock spoke of growing up nearby as one of 12 children. “Clearly, my parents read the Bible: ‘Be fruitful and multiply,’” he said, quoting from the first chapter of the book of Genesis, in one of several references to Scripture.

Herschel Walker, the Republican, sought to reassure skeptical voters, including those who might support Republican Gov. Brian Kemp but are not sure that Walker is up to the job.

“For those of you who are concerned about voting for me — a non-politician — I want you to think about the damage a politician like Joe Biden and Raphael Warnock has done to the country,” said Walker, who starred at the University of Georgia and then played 12 years in the National Football League. Walker owned a food services company after his career in sports was over.

Walker was the more aggressive of the two men on stage, repeatedly going after Warnock as a proxy vote for President Biden, and excitedly invoking Biblical language at one point to say to the Democrat, “Do not bear false witness, Senator!” Warnock was more measured in his responses, and did not make many direct criticisms of Walker.

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Warnock did make one direct attack on Walker’s credibility. As they discussed public safety, Warnock shot at Walker, “One thing I have not done: I have never pretended to be a police officer. And I’ve never threatened a shootout with the police.”

Walker responded by pulling a black wallet case from his suit jacket pocket, which held a five-pointed gold badge, saying, “You know what’s so funny? I am work [sic] with many police officers.”

This drew a reprimand for Walker from one of the debate’s two moderators, WSAV news anchor Tina Tyus-Shaw: “You have a prop. That is not allowed, sir.”

“Well, it’s not a prop. This is real,” Walker said.

The episode served to highlight Walker’s record of making false statements in public about having “worked in law enforcement.” The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported in June that Walker has made several such false statements over the years.

One of the more contentious exchanges of the night came during a lengthy back-and-forth over abortion.

Walker said it was “a lie” that he supported a national abortion ban with no exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother, as has been previously reported. “I said I support the heartbeat bill,” he said. “That has exceptions in it.”

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed a bill in 2019 that would ban abortion at six weeks after gestation, which has exceptions to protect the life of the mother, in case of rape or incest if a police report is filed, and if a pregnancy is “medically futile.” The law took effect in July after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe vs. Wade, which granted a constitutional right to abortion.

The moderator then asked Warnock if he would support “any limitations on abortion set by the government.” Warnock did not answer the question directly. He talked about the Roe vs. Wade decision, and said “a patient’s room is too narrow and small and cramped a space for a woman, her doctor and the United States government.”

Walker retorted, “Did he not mention that there’s a baby in that room as well? And also did he not mention that he’s asking the taxpayer to pay for it, so he’s bringing the government back into the room?”

In a brief but consequential moment, both candidates were asked if they would accept the results of the election. Both said yes. That question is only necessary because former President Donald Trump refused to accept the results of the 2020 election, continues to do so, and that defiance of election results is spreading to other Republicans. A Washington Post report in September found that 12 of 19 Republican statewide candidates in key battleground states declined to answer or said they would not accept the results if they lost.

Walker, however, said that President Biden did win the 2020 election. Walker also said he would support a run by Trump in 2024.

Warnock dodged when asked if he would support Biden running for reelection, declaring that he had not thought about it and that he did not want to be a “pundit.”

When the debate turned to questions about personal conduct, the two candidates got notably different types of questions.

Buck Lanford, a Fox 5 Atlanta TV anchor, asked Warnock two highly specific questions, and then asked Walker one very general and vague query.

Lanford’s first question to Warnock was based on a report this week by the Washington Free Beacon, a conservative-leaning website, about evictions at a housing complex owned by Ebenezer Baptist Church.

“As someone who receives more than $7,000 a month for a housing allowance from Ebenezer Baptist Church, how do you explain this to Georgia voters who are struggling currently to make ends meet?” Lanford asked Warnock.

Warnock said the accusations in the article that the church was responsible for evictions were “not true.”

“We have not evicted those tenants,” he said.

Lanford then asked Warnock, “Your ex-wife filed a lawsuit asking for increased child support, saying that she had to pay for childcare on days that your duties as a senator interfered with your parenting time and citing significant increases in your income. What is your response to that lawsuit?”

After Warnock talked about the two children that came from his four-year marriage to Oulèye Ndoye, which ended in 2020, Lanford turned to Walker.

“Recent ads have highlighted allegations of past domestic violence. They’ve raised questions about how transparent you’ve been as far as your resume. How do you respond to voters who question your integrity both personally and professionally?” Lanford asked Walker.

The lack of specifics in Lanfords question to Walker was notable, given the numerous allegations of domestic violence in Walker’s past that involve accusations that he held a gun to the head of his ex-wife, and a razor blade to her throat at another time.

Walker was also not asked about reports that he had not even told his own campaign about three children he fathered from three women in addition to the one child he had with his ex-wife.

Walker has trailed Warnock in public polling for most of the race, and this debate was seen as both a high-risk moment for Walker’s troubled candidacy, as well as an opportunity to tamp down the notion that he is not fit for the Senate.

After winning the May 24 Republican primary, Walker found himself with an uphill climb to beating Warnock. He made several gaffes in the late spring and early summer that raised questions about his grasp of basic facts and policy issues, and then his multiple children came to light.

Over the summer, Walker’s campaign and the national Republican party kept him to a more disciplined script and he was able to avoid further embarrassments.

But in early October, The Daily Beast — which reported on Walker’s multiple children — revealed that one of the women who gave birth to one of Walker’s children said that she had also aborted one of her pregnancies with Walker’s financial support and encouragement, in 2009.

The story was amplified by the angry denunciations of Walker by one of his own children, Christian, a conservative with a large audience on social media. Christian Walker told his more than 200,000 followers on Twitter that his father is a hypocrite and a liar. “He has four kids, four different women, wasn’t in the house raising one of them. He was out having sex with other women. Do you care about Christian values?” Christian Walker said in a video posted to the site. “I’m done, done. Everything has been a lie.”

Walker has denied the accusations and did so again on Friday night during the debate. There were no follow up questions. Walker initially threatened to sue the Daily Beast, but that lawsuit has not materialized.

Warnock’s first term in the Senate lasted less than two years, rather than six, because Warnock won a special election to finish the term of Republican Johnny Isaakson, who resigned for health reasons and who died last year.