Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) is a 53-year-old reverend from Atlanta, Georgia, currently seeking re-election against GOP nominee Herschel Walker. The most recent polls show that Walker is expected to defeat Warnock in November.
Warnock was first elected to the Senate on January 5, 2021, after defeating GOP candidate Kelly Loeffler in a run-off election. He became Georgia’s first black senator.
Warnock is also the senior pastor of the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a prior reverend.
He graduated from Morehouse College in 1991 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology. He also has a Master of Divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary in New York City, according to his biography.
CONTROVERSIES:
Reverend Jeremiah Wright
Warnock has previously expressed support for former President Barack Obama’s long-time pastor, Reverend Jeremiah Wright. Wright had previously been accused of espousing anti-American sentiments from the pulpit, drawing strong rebukes from around the country and forcing Obama to distance himself from the pastor. During one such sermon, Wright had said, “God damn America.”
As noted by the Atlanta Jewish Times, Warnock defended Wright for his claims.
Wright’s words were “extracted from its theological and rhetorical context and looped to the point of ad nauseam,” Warnock said in remarks to the Yale Divinity School in 2013, the outlet reported. Warnock added that the comments were in line with “Black prophetic preaching,” noting that such “preachers are expected, indeed encouraged to speak the truth, tell Pharaoh and tell it like it is with clarity, creativity and passion.”
Campaign Funds
The senator has also been accused of illegally using campaign funds for a lawsuit regarding a matter that predated his time in office.
According to Politico, leftist attorney Marc Elias defended Warnock’s actions, claiming, “It’s completely legal and appropriate to have used campaign funds on this legal matter, as many federal office holders have done before. Any suggestion otherwise is completely false.”
Yet, Republican attorney Charlie Spies told Politico, “If Warnock is using campaign money to pay for a lawsuit that predates his running for office, then by definition it existed irrespective of his candidacy and would be impermissible to use campaign funds on.”
“I don’t think his donors are giving for him to fund personal lawsuits,” he added.
Half-Brother Ran An Illegal Drug Ring As Police Officer, According To Records
Warnock has often upheld the life sentence of his older half-brother, Keith Coleman, as evidence of systemic racism, claiming that he was a “first-time,” “nonviolent” drug offender.
The Washington Free Beacon looked into that claim, and actually, court records show that “Coleman was a cop with the Savannah Police Department when he was convicted of facilitating a cross-country cocaine trafficking operation in 1996 and 1997 — and once warned that he could send a drug dealer’s ‘black ass’ to prison if the dealer didn’t pay Coleman more money.”
THE ISSUES:
Abortion
Warnock identifies as a “pro-choice pastor” and supports virtually no limits on a woman’s right to get an abortion.
Criminal Justice Reform
Warnock wants to drastically reduce America’s prison population and has previously supported defunding the police.
LGBTQ+
Warnock is a cosponsor of the controversial “Equality Act,” which would trample upon religious liberties and freedoms, critics warn.
Illegal Immigration
Warnock strongly supports amnesty for millions of illegal aliens in America.
This page will be updated periodically.