Democratic Presidential Candidate of the Week: No. 21, Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA)
Here are the candidates we've already written up:
Runner-up: Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)
Runner-up: Gov. Katie Hobbs (D-AZ)
Runner-up: Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA)
Runner-up: Al Franken
Runner-up: Mitch Landrieu
Runner-up: Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT)
Runner-up: Gov. Phil Murphy (D-NJ)
Runner-up: Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA)
Runner-up: Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT)
Runner-up: Jon Stewart
Runner-up: Jon Tester
Runner-up: Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA)
#25: Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)
#24: Gov. Tony Evers (D-WI)
#23: Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA)
#22: Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI)
And now, stepping to the plate is Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA).
- Full Name: Raphael Gamaliel Warnock
- Age on January 20, 2029: 59
- Background: Both of Warnock's parents were sharecroppers and Pentecostal ministers, and in
whatever time they had left over from those two tasks, well... when the future senator was born, he was the 11th of what
would ultimately be 12 children. He grew up in a four-bedroom apartment in Savannah, GA, which works out to roughly one
bedroom for every four siblings.
Some politicians find themselves later in life, others are obnoxious overachievers from an early age. Warnock was in the
latter group. He preached his first sermon at age 11, and was a regular in the pulpit as a teenager. At Sol C. Johnson
High School in Savannah, he was voted class president and "Most Likely to Succeed," graduating in 1987.
Warnock was born a year after Martin Luther King Jr. died, so the two men could not have met. Nonetheless, after a visit
to the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change in Atlanta, Warnock decided to model his life on
King's. He became a Baptist and enrolled at King's alma mater, Morehouse College. When he graduated with his degree in
psychology, he was the first member of his family to earn a degree from a four-year college.
Warnock continued his education at the famous Union Theological Seminary in New York, taking an M.Div., M.Phil. and a
Ph.D. there. His doctoral dissertation, later published as a book, was
The Divided Mind of the Black Church: Theology, Piety, and Public Witness.
During this time, he served as assistant pastor at Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem and then, on graduating, moved on
to a position as senior pastor at Douglas Memorial Community Church. At age 35, he returned home to Atlanta, and took
over the pulpit once occupied by King himself, at the famous Ebenezer Baptist Church, which has been in continuous
operation for 140 years. Warnock is the youngest person ever named senior pastor there; he served for 15 years before
commencing his political career.
- Political Experience: Warnock's first forays into politics took the form of advocacy; he
was a leader in efforts to expand Medicaid in Georgia. Again taking a cue from his role model, he led a sit-in at the
Georgia State Capitol in support of accepting the funds being offered as part of Obamacare. He also began campaigning
for various candidates for political office, thus building the sort of network that is essential for a successful
statewide campaign, unless the candidate has been a football coach or an oysterman.
Warnock first considered running for the Senate in 2016, but decided that challenging the sitting Johnny Isakson, in
what was then still a red state, was a lost cause. In 2019, Isakson stepped down due to health problems and was replaced
by the appointed Kelly Loeffler. Loeffler was a considerably less formidable opponent than Isakson, plus the GOP was
being weighed down, by that point, by an anchor inscribed S.S. Trump. So, Warnock decided to run in the 2020
special election for the balance of Isakson's term. He outpaced Loeffler by 7 points in the first round of voting, 32.9%
to 25.9%, but Georgia is one of those states where you have to take 50% of the vote to win.
The intensely watched runoff, in January 2021, with control of the Senate on the line, was much closer, but Warnock
still came out on top, 51% to 49%. That made him (and, at the same time, Jon Ossoff) the first Democrats to represent
Georgia in the U.S. Senate in 20 years, and Warnock the first Black man ever to do so. The whole point of Southern "50%
to win" laws was to make sure that only Democrats were elected to political office, although left-leaning Black
Democrats weren't quite the kind of Democrats the authors of those laws had in mind. Warnock was reelected to a full
term in 2022.
In the Senate, Warnock serves on the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry; the Committee on Commerce,
Science, and Transportation; the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs and the Special Committee on Aging. He
is known as a moderate (though he's not fanatical about it), and as a work horse who keeps his nose to the grindstone.
He still preaches at Ebenezer nearly every Sunday.
- Signature Issue(s): Voting rights. This is one of his key issues, and he comes from
a state that is Ground Zero for a lot of voter access shenanigans.
- What Would His Pitch Be?: "We must pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, and I'm the
man to get it done."
- Instructive Quote: "I believe in bipartisanship. But when it comes to something as
fundamental as voting rights, I just have to ask, bipartisanship at what cost?"
- Completely Trivial Fact: The most common middle names for American males, over the past
200 years, are Michael, Joseph and William. The U.S. has never had a president with any of those middle names. On the
other hand, if Warnock were elected, he'd be the second president with the middle name Gamaliel. And, very probably, the
first such president not to conceive an illegitimate child in a closet next to the Oval Office. Note that Warnock's
middle name was not inspired by Warren Harding, however; Gamaliel is a Biblical name.
- Recent News: Some members of Congress don't get much legislation passed into law.
Warnock does. One of the key provisions of the housing bill that became law a few weeks ago, the
ban
on equity firms buying single-family homes (under most circumstances), was his doing.
- Strengths for the Democratic Primaries: (1) He's Black, and so are a lot of Democratic primary voters; (2) He comes
from a swing state that the blue team would love to have in its column and (3) He's legitimately religious, and if James Talarico wins (or comes
close) in Texas, many Democratic voters are going to decide that a religious candidate is the key to the promised land that is reddish-purple
Southern states (Texas, Georgia, North Carolina, etc.).
- Weaknesses for the Democratic Primaries: (1) Warnock has a Troy-Jackson-style skeleton in his closet, in that
he had an argument with his ex-wife in which she says he ran over her foot with the family car (the police investigated and sided with
Warnock); (2) a lot of Democratic voters will be leery of putting a key Senate seat at risk, and (3) Warnock's past sermons
are an oppo researcher's dream, particularly if they are willing to take some of his more provocative remarks out of context, which oppo
researchers most certainly are willing to do.
- Polls: Pollsters do not test the approval ratings of senators very often, but when they do, Warnock
tends to be about 10 points above water, roughly 50% to 40%. By the standards of modern politics, that's very good.
- Rank, Initial Poll: #19
- Rank, Readers' Preferred Candidates: #14
- How Does the Readership Feel?: We asked readers for their thoughts on Warnock running for
president. Here are some of those responses:
L.B. in London, England, UK: After doing a bit of research, Warnock is an even better
senator than I realized. He won in a swing state, but one that is shifting left rapidly (so not at major risk of losing
it if he were to be the Presidential nominee), and his politics are great. I was planning on mentioning how the other
Senator from Georgia would be a better choice, but on further research I may have changed my mind on that.
A.G. in Los Angeles, CA: I recently watched Warnock's appearance on Real Time with Bill
Maher. While he did release a book recently, I can't believe he is truly running. His vibe was too measured and
demure, which doesn't translate well in modern elections for president. He did not have any notable quotes or go into
talking points like others who are likely to run. I think he would make a great VP for a more fiery candidate like a
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) or Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY). The structure of the show is one guest first who is
usually talking about something they are releasing, followed by two guests who discuss current events. It really didn't
help Warnock that the first guest was J.D. Vance, who has been taking extensive lessons on being charismatic and
personable. Unrelated to the question, but Vance is no longer the weird guy and will be a very formidable candidate.
It's quite telling that a millennial who has voted Democratic since Obama was more impressed by Vance, even though I
would never vote for him.
J.P. in Chicago, IL: In a cycle that has Democrats afraid to vote for anyone besides a
straight, white, Christian man, but where the Party needs to address the abandonment of black voters, he'd make a
perfect VP. If needed, also a great president, but not elected as one in 2028.
M.M. in San Diego, CA: I love this man, but the sad truth is he would galvanize the
extremist, racist far right. Also, he's invaluable and needed for Georgia right now.
K.H. in Scotch Plains, NJ: Back in the winter of 2020, when the season was mercifully
almost over, I was heartened that both the election was called for Biden and that the 2020-21 U.S. Senate elections were
called for Ossoff and Warnock in Georgia. They seem, much like my own Senators, Cory Booker and Andy Kim (both D-NJ),
very capable and intelligent. Ossoff is clearly interested in 2028 himself, if he can get re-elected this year, so that
could cause a bit of a potential issue if Warnock is as well.
But Warnock is a lot like Senate candidate James Talarico, I think: He's a man who actually lives his faith in a
Congress with more people than I could count who invoke Christ's name and refuse to take any of His teachings seriously.
He's actually a preacher and I'm not entirely sure there's ever been a sitting senator who's also worked as a preacher
before, and he seemed very warm, sharp and agreeable when he was on The Daily Show last month. Basically, he
seems like an admirable man who knows how to get into the weeds of politics without muddying up his own character. I do
love that about him, he's clearly a man who will take the high road, but "taking the high road" does not mean "look the
other way/hope for the best when clear injustice is going on." I do hope he's one of those people who can make sure to
put that into practice. But he's someone I would vote for and he seems far more trustworthy than most people in
Congress.
Whether he could go the distance, I'm not entirely sure. It was a real relief to see him triumph over Herschel Walker,
an incredibly sketchy, creepy man, but there are a lot of people who have run for office who are sketchy and creepy and
plenty of them do know how to say the right things to get that sweet power. I do hope Ossoff and Warnock remain close
because I think they could help bolster one another, the Democratic Party, and the nation, and I don't want there to be
any 2028 competition between them, but I don't really know what either of them want right now. But I like and support
both men.
P.J.T. in Raton, NM: While I admire the man and his politics, and would happily support a
senatorial run were he a resident of the Land of Enchantment, the only scenario in which I can see myself supporting a
clergy[person] for President would be if the alternative were a clergy[person] from the other side. Otherwise, I'd lean
into the green side of blue (I consider myself a "Turquoise Democrat"), and vote for the Green Party candidate. I
believe in the wall of separation between church and state, and when it comes to the presidency, I want that wall to be
impenetrably thick.
M.T. in Wheat Ridge, CO: I'm kind of embarrassed to say that I didn't know much about
Warnock until very recently, when he appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (I knew who he was, and that he
won hard races in Georgia, but that's about it). And my only thought after that interview was "We'll never be lucky
enough to have this man as president, will we?" He totally blew me away. I'm as far from religious as you can get,
so I'm not sure what it means that my favorite candidate for 2028 is a practicing Baptist minister.
That said, we probably need his common sense and ability to connect with religious and non-religious alike in the Senate
more than ever these days. I could easily see him being a future excellent majority leader there. I also just don't
have enough faith in Americans to put him in the White House.
P.D.N. in Austintown, OH: Good senator and perfect for his state. But until the racist
Silents and Boomers die off, and they're getting close, America is not going to elect a Black man as President. Maybe
for vice-president if the Democratic ticket absolutely needs Georgia.
- The Bottom Line: Warnock's been eyed as a potential Democratic presidential candidate
since the day he first took office, and maybe one day he'll take a shot at it. However, we think the key factor in 2028
is that the blue team just can't afford to risk that Senate seat. That will not only forestall a presidential run, but
probably takes the VP slot off the table, as well.
Next week, it's #20, former Sen. Sherrod Brown. If readers have comments about Brown running for president in 2028, please
send them to comments@electoral-vote.com.
This item appeared on www.electoral-vote.com. Read it Monday through Friday for political and election news,
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