Columbus, Georgia. Wayne Black was one of the few African Americans in the crowd as about 100 people gathered at the Republican Party headquarters near Columbus, Georgia, to hear from Herschel Walker.
Black, a member of the Muscogee County Republican Executive Committee, said he found a promise in Walker's candidacy, a GOP voice who could appeal to African Americans and others in Georgia who have traditionally voted Democratic.
Black said that they identify with him from the standpoint of the American dream.
About 100 miles to the north, that optimism ran into problems. Wyvonia Carter said her choice in what might be the most competitive Senate race this year was not complicated as she left an Atlanta polling site.
The 84 year-old said that he was a Democrat. That is it.
In a Deep South state where the history of slavery, segregation and racial injustice is still present, voters for the first time have selected two Black candidates to represent the major parties in a Senate race. Walker will take on Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock in a general election campaign that could help decide control of the Senate.
The race will determine if the Democratic gains in 2020 were a blip or the beginning of a political realignment in a rapidly changing state. In November 2020, Joe Biden was the first Democratic presidential candidate to carry the state in 28 years, and two months later, he and Jon Ossoff flipped two Republican Senate seats, giving their party a narrow majority in the Senate.
Black voters were crucial in helping Democrats win.
The issue is not whether Walker will break the bond that Black voters have with Democratic candidates. Black voters are frustrated by a lack of progress in Washington on issues ranging from a policing overhaul to voting rights, so they may sit this election out. A small change in voting patterns could make a difference in a close election.
The Republicans hope that Walker's candidacy will at least make the issue of race go away.
The chair of the Georgia Black Republican Council said that Black Georgians will not have to contend with the race issue. Herschel has to tell his conservative message.
Many Black voters said they wouldn't give Walker a second look because of his race. They said that they were driven by policy considerations and that Walker does not address their needs.
Louis Harden, a 58-year-old black voter in Atlanta, supports the senator because of his support for Medicaid expansion.
He said that it doesn't matter who gets the job done.
Two Black people have emerged as the nominees in a Senate race in the modern era.
Barack Obama faced Alan Keyes in his Senate campaign. South Carolina's Tim Scott, the Senate's only Black Republican, was unsuccessful in his challenge in 2016 by a North Charleston pastor.
It is playing out in a state that is more competitive than Illinois or South Carolina, where Republicans are dominant. The candidates in Georgia represent two institutions that are revered in the South: church and football.
Walker won a championship and a trophy at the University of Georgia in the 1980s, making him one of Georgia's most well-known sports figures. The senior pastor at the Atlanta church where Martin Luther King Jr. preached is Warnock.
Stan Deaton is a scholar at the Georgia Historical Society.
Walker will need to do more to appeal to the Black community in order to make a difference in the race.
She said that Walker has not done enough to craft a political identity that is independent from the party. Wright Rigueur said that black voters consider how a candidate treats his or her community and may view African American candidates who stick to Republican talking points more harshly than their white counterparts.
She said that it was viewed as community betrayal.
Walker has mostly supported Republican messaging about race. He has defended Trump against criticism that he was racist, he has accused Black Lives Matter of wanting to destroy the country, and he has said that Black-on-Black crime is worse than violence by police. Walker has come under scrutiny over allegations that he threatened his ex-wife's life and dramatically inflated his record as a businessman.
The pastor at the church has embraced King's legacy of racial justice and equal rights. After the killing of George Floyd by police in May 2020, he spoke about the country's struggle with aviruses. He has attacked Republicans on Capitol Hill for pushing for tighter voting rules.
In a statement, the campaign manager said that Warnock has a record of fighting to improve the lives of all Georgians.
The people of Georgia, no matter their race, will make the decision about who is best suited to represent them.
All Georgians, regardless of race, are facing problems created by Democrats and that Walker is sick and tired of politicians constantly dividing people based on the color of their skin.
Walker told a House subcommittee last year that black power is used to create white guilt.
Walker said in his memoir that his mother taught him that doing right or wrong was what mattered.
He said that he didn't like the idea that he was representing his people.
Black Republicans in Georgia expect Walker to try to win over the African American community during the general election. His personal story about overcoming obstacles to reach the top ranks of college football will find an audience among Black voters.
The chairman of the Chatham County Republican Party in eastern Georgia said that self-determination has always been a big thing for the Black community.
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The Associated Press writer in Georgia contributed to the report.
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