Former U.N. ambassador Andrew Young rode his scooter alongside Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock, Martin Luther King III and an enthusiastic crowd of protesters on a recent Sunday through a southwest Atlanta neighborhood. The group stopped at an early polling station to cast their ballots, forming a queue with some waiting up to an hour to vote.
At age 90, Young says he’s selective about public appearances, but he saw the “Souls to the Polls” event as one where he could galvanize black voters in Tuesday’s hotly contested U.S. Senate runoff between of Warnock and Republican challenger Herschel Walker – a historic showdown between two blacks.
Community leaders and political observers say the black vote has consistently played a key role in high-stakes races for Democrats, including in 2021, when Warnock defeated then-Sen. Kelly Loeffler in the second round. Black likely voters are nearly unanimous in their support for the Democrat (96% Warnock vs. 3% Walker), according to a CNN poll released last week that showed Warnock with a narrow lead.
A second win for Warnock in the run-off could once again depend on the turnout of black voters in a subsequent race. If Warnock wins, it would give Democrats an outright majority in the Senate — one that does not rely on the vote of Vice President Kamala Harris and would allow Majority Leader Chuck Schumer more control over key committees and some loose potentially divisive judicial and executive confirmation battles.
Voting, Young said, is the “road to prosperity” for the black community. He noted that Atlanta’s mass transit system and economic development were made possible by voters.
“Wherever we’ve voted we’ve prospered,” Young said.
The rally led by Young, King and Warnock appears to have set the tone for many black voters in Georgia. Early voting increased across the state last week with long lines reported in the greater Atlanta area. By Sunday, more than 1.85 million votes had already been cast, with black voters accounting for nearly 32 percent of the turnout, according to the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office. The early voting period, which has been significantly condensed since 2021, ended on Friday.
Billy Honor, director of organizing for the New Georgia Project Action Fund, said black turnout so far looks promising for Democrats.
“When we have black voter turnout in any statewide election, that’s between 31 and 33 percent, that’s usually good for Democrats,” Honor said. “If it’s between 27 and 30 percent, that’s usually good for Republicans.”
Honor added: “This has an impact on the election because we know that if you’re a Democratic candidate, the coalition you have to build is a certain number of college-educated whites, a certain number of women overall, as many young people as you can get — and black people voters. This is the coalition. (Former President) Barack Obama was able to crush that coalition in 2008 in ways we hadn’t seen.”
Young said he believes black voters are more likely to turn out in runoffs, which historically have lower turnout than general elections, when the candidate is likable and relatable.
Warnock is a beloved figure in Atlanta’s Black community, having pastored the church once led by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. He grew up in public housing and relied on student loans to put himself through college.
Young said Warnock’s story is inspirational.
“He’s a fascinating personality, he’s a great preacher,” Young said. “He speaks from his heart and talks about how he and his family came up in the deep South and developed a great life.”
Young said some black voters may also vote against Walker, who has made a series of public gaffes, lacks political experience and has a history of accusations of violent and threatening behavior.
Last week’s CNN poll showed Walker faces widespread questions about his honesty and suffers from a negative approval rating, with nearly half of those who support him saying their vote was more about opposing Warnock than about support of Walker.
Opinions of Warnock lean marginally positive, with 50% of likely voters having a favorable opinion, 45% unfavorably, while Georgia voters are far more likely to have a negative view of Walker (52%) than a positive one (39%).
However, Walker is famous as a Heisman Trophy-winning football star from the University of Georgia. And among the majority of likely voters in the CNN poll who said the issues are a more important factor in their vote than character or integrity, 64 percent favor Walker.
He campaigned Sunday with, among others, GOP Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, one of only three black senators currently serving in the chamber. Scott sought to connect Warnock with President Joe Biden — who, like former President Donald Trump, has steered clear of the Peach State — and reminded voters in Loganville of the GOP’s losses in the 2021 runoffs.
At the event, which began with prayers in Creole, Spanish and Swahili from speakers with the Ralph Reed Faith and Freedom Coalition, Walker encouraged more people to get out and vote than usual.
“If you don’t have a friend, make a friend and get them to vote,” Walker said.
Back at the “Souls at the Polls” march, some black voters said they were excited to show up and cast their early ballots in the runoff.
Travie Leslie said she felt it was her “political duty” to vote after all the work civil rights leaders in Atlanta did to ensure black people had the right to vote. Leslie doesn’t mind standing in line or voting in multiple elections to ensure a quality candidate gets office.
“I’ll come 12 times if I have to, and I encourage other people to do the same thing,” Leslie said Thursday while at the polling place at the Metropolitan Library in Atlanta. “Just stay committed to it because it really is the best time to be involved in decision-making specifically for Georgia.”
Martin Luther King III credited grassroots organizations with registering more black and brown voters since 2020, when Biden took over the state and mobilized Georgians to vote.
Their work led to long lines of voters in the midterms and runoffs, King said.
King said he believes Warnock also appeals to black voters in a way Walker does not.
“Engine turn. Warnock stands out pretty well,” King said. “He’s stayed above the fray and defined what he’s done.”
The Black vote, he said, is likely to make the difference in which candidate wins the runoff.
“Black voters, if we turn out in huge numbers, then I think on December 6th we (Democrats) will have a huge victory,” King said.
