Herschel Walker Needs the Debate of His Life to Triumph Over Warnock

Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker will need to pull something special out of the bag during Friday night's debate if he has any hope of turning around his midterm campaign.

For months, the Donald Trump-endorsed candidate who is hoping to unseat Democrat Raphael Warnock in November's midterm election has been hit with a seemingly never-ending string of scandals about his personal and professional life.

The latest controversy involving the Republican alleges he paid for his then girlfriend's abortion in 2009, despite now opposing the procedure in all circumstances, including rape, incest or if the mother's life is in danger.

Walker denied the claim, saying at first that he did not know who the woman was. It was later alleged that the girlfriend whose abortion Walker paid for went on to give birth to one of his four children—three of whom Walker did not publicly acknowledge before his Senate campaign.

Walker is now entering Friday's debate behind the Democrat in all the most recent opinion polls, although the abortion allegation does not appear to have harmed the Republican.

The question remains whether Walker's public speaking, also often a source of controversy and concern, will be able to convince voters they should back him in November.

In the months before Friday's televised debate was scheduled, it was reported the GOP was worried that Walker's gaffes could affect his ability to face off against Warnock.

Walker's unpredictable comments include saying that there are 52 states and making a confusing claim about "good air" being replaced by China's "bad air" when discussing climate change.

When asked about gun law reform in the wake of the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, in May, Walker also replied: "What I'd like to do, what I'd like to do is see it and everything and stuff. I'd like to see it."

In September, Walker appeared to admit that he will struggle against the incumbent in the debate.

"I'm this country boy, you know. I'm not that smart," Walker said. "And he's a preacher. He's a smart man, wears these nice suits. So he is going to show up and embarrass me at the debate October 14, and I'm just waiting to show up and I'm going to do my best."

Dr. Bernard Tamas, associate professor of political science at Valdosta State University in Georgia, told Newsweek that Walker is entering Friday's debate facing a "credibility crisis at a level that one rarely sees in American politics," including seemingly being "incapable of presenting a coherent policy statement on almost any issue."

Tamas added that while the debate may not have too much of an effect on voters, if Walker truly does flounder then his political ambitions may never recover, reminiscent of Republican Senator Dan Quayle's infamous 1988 vice presidential debate.

"Similarly, Walker is facing a moment when negative public impressions of him could solidify if he does not counteract them soon and does so convincingly," Tamas said.

Tamas added that the fact most Republican voters will still back Walker despite his controversies will help his campaign, even if the former NFL star bombs on Friday. The close Senate race could also turn into a December run-off, which may give Walker more time to turn his campaign around.

Dr. Audrey Haynes, a political science professor at the University of Georgia, said that while the Senate race is "relatively inelastic" with regards to voter preferences, Walker is the candidate more likely to lose support in the wake of the debate "particularly if he makes a major error" on Friday.

"We really haven't seen him perform in this type of situation—but he has had plenty of messaging problems already," Haynes told Newsweek. "For some, this may be the first time they are hearing about some of the latest scandals associated with the Walker campaign."

Haynes added that one qualifier which could help Walker is that a decent percentage of his supporters may not even watch the televised debate, and are less likely to be getting their news from non-partisan sources.

"That is one of the reasons that debates sometimes do not move the needle as much as some people think," Haynes said. "But there will be a lot of spinning going on and both campaigns have some good spinners."

The televised debate between Walker and Warnock will begin at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, October 14. It is being hosted by WSAV in Savannah and broadcast on several other stations in the state.