Former President Barack Obama plans to campaign with Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock on Dec. 1 before Warnock's runoff election the following week against Republican Herschel Walker, The Hill reported on Monday.
Neither candidate received the 50% needed by state law to win during this month's midterm elections, necessitating the runoff.
Obama campaigned with Warnock before the midterm elections.
Although the Democrats have already secured a majority in the Senate with 50 seats (due to the tie-breaking vote by Vice President Harris), the race is still vitally important because if Warnock is victorious, it would allow the party to more easily confirm federal judges and also give the Democrats control over which bills can come to the Senate floor.
During his appearance with Warnock, Obama intends to urge encourage Georgians to cast early ballots, the former president's team told NBC News.
Early voting for the runoff starts Nov. 28 and continues through Dec. 2, after Georgia's new voting law reduced the period that early voting is permitted.
Obama's office noted to NBC News that after the former president's rally for Warnock before the midterms, attendees "signed up to complete hundreds of door-knocking shifts."
At that Oct. 28 rally, which was attended by more than 7,000 people, Obama also put an emphasis on saving democracy, The Hill reported.
"Democracy is not self-executing," Obama said. "It depends on us working, nurturing, caring for it, not just on Election Day, but every day in between. It depends on us as citizens saying, This matters. This election matters, Georgia."
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.