Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock will face Republican football legend Herschel Walker for a coveted Senate seat in Georgia after both handily defeated primary challengers on Tuesday to set up a historic, high-stakes showdown.Walker, who is backed by former President Donald Trump, defeated five GOP challengers in his race, clearing the 50% mark needed to avoid a runoff. Warnock easily defeated beauty industry professional Tamara Johnson-Shealey.The general election matchup between Warnock and Walker marks the first time that two major party candidates for U.S. Senate in Georgia are Black.The contest — expected to be heated — will test whether Democratic gains in Georgia in 2020 were a blip or the start of a political realignment in a rapidly changing state. Joe Biden was the first Democratic presidential candidate to carry the state in 28 years and just two months later, Warnock and fellow Democrat Jon Ossoff flipped two longtime Republican Senate seats, handing their party a narrow majority in the Senate.Republicans looking to regain control of the Senate have targeted the Georgia seat. Warnock's campaign Tuesday quickly put out a news release attacking the Republican nominee."In a short time, Reverend Raphael Warnock has built a clear, extensive record of fighting for all Georgians in the U.S. Senate," Campaign Manager Quentin Fulks said in a statement. "He presents a clear choice for voters this fall and a distinct contrast with Republican nominee Herschel Walker, whose pattern of lies, exaggerations and outright bizarre claims reveal he is not up for the job of serving Georgians in the U.S. Senate."Walker has dramatically inflated his record as a businessman and falsely said he graduated at the top of his class from the University of Georgia. He didn't graduate, as the Atlanta Journal-Constitution first reported. He has also made multiple gaffes on the campaign trail.A representative for Walker's campaign, Mallory Blount, did not immediately respond to an email and text seeking comment. Walker is a former college football celebrity. Warnock is the pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, where the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. once preached. He became the first Black senator elected from Georgia when he defeated appointed Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler in 2021.As a senator, Warnock has derided Republicans' push for tighter voting rules, calling them "Jim Crow in new clothes;" stressed his work in bringing home funding for health care, national security research and other projects; and highlighted his efforts to try to cap the cost of insulin and temporarily suspend the federal gasoline tax. Walker — a political newcomer — has nearly unmatched name recognition in Georgia from his days as a college football running back. He led the University of Georgia football team to a national title during the 1980 season and won the Heisman Trophy in 1982. He counts Trump as a close friend.The Trump endorsement was the chief reason Pam Leonard said she voted for Walker. But the 71-year-old said Tuesday outside of a polling place in Woodstock that she remembers those football days, too."I know his story," Leonard said. "Especially when he was a child, he was bullied and he built himself up by running against trains. That takes a lot of gumption."But some of his Republican opponents had questioned Walker's electability. Walker has a history of violence against women and also skipped the primary debates. He has been open about his long struggle with mental illness and acknowledged violent urges.Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black made the sharpest attacks on Walker, saying he couldn't win in November because of domestic violence allegations and other past problems. Former Trump administration official and Navy veteran Latham Saddler had questioned Walker's preparation for a potential debate with Warnock.In a statement Tuesday, Black said he hopes Walker "does right, but he has not earned my vote."The other GOP primary candidates were: retired brigadier general Jon McColumn; contractor and Air Force veteran Kelvin King and former state Rep. Josh Clark.David Butler didn't vote for Walker."I think he's probably going to get the nomination, but I don't think he deserves it," Butler said before the race was called. "I think he's getting it because of his name, because he played football at Georgia."___Associated Press writer Jeff Martin in Woodstock, Georgia, contributed to this report.

ATLANTA —

Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock will face Republican football legend Herschel Walker for a coveted Senate seat in Georgia after both handily defeated primary challengers on Tuesday to set up a historic, high-stakes showdown.

Walker, who is backed by former President Donald Trump, defeated five GOP challengers in his race, clearing the 50% mark needed to avoid a runoff. Warnock easily defeated beauty industry professional Tamara Johnson-Shealey.

The general election matchup between Warnock and Walker marks the first time that two major party candidates for U.S. Senate in Georgia are Black.

Anna Moneymaker

Megan Varner

The contest — expected to be heated — will test whether Democratic gains in Georgia in 2020 were a blip or the start of a political realignment in a rapidly changing state. Joe Biden was the first Democratic presidential candidate to carry the state in 28 years and just two months later, Warnock and fellow Democrat Jon Ossoff flipped two longtime Republican Senate seats, handing their party a narrow majority in the Senate.

Republicans looking to regain control of the Senate have targeted the Georgia seat.

Warnock's campaign Tuesday quickly put out a news release attacking the Republican nominee.

"In a short time, Reverend Raphael Warnock has built a clear, extensive record of fighting for all Georgians in the U.S. Senate," Campaign Manager Quentin Fulks said in a statement. "He presents a clear choice for voters this fall and a distinct contrast with Republican nominee Herschel Walker, whose pattern of lies, exaggerations and outright bizarre claims reveal he is not up for the job of serving Georgians in the U.S. Senate."

Walker has dramatically inflated his record as a businessman and falsely said he graduated at the top of his class from the University of Georgia. He didn't graduate, as the Atlanta Journal-Constitution first reported. He has also made multiple gaffes on the campaign trail.

A representative for Walker's campaign, Mallory Blount, did not immediately respond to an email and text seeking comment.

Walker is a former college football celebrity. Warnock is the pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, where the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. once preached. He became the first Black senator elected from Georgia when he defeated appointed Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler in 2021.

As a senator, Warnock has derided Republicans' push for tighter voting rules, calling them "Jim Crow in new clothes;" stressed his work in bringing home funding for health care, national security research and other projects; and highlighted his efforts to try to cap the cost of insulin and temporarily suspend the federal gasoline tax.

Walker — a political newcomer — has nearly unmatched name recognition in Georgia from his days as a college football running back. He led the University of Georgia football team to a national title during the 1980 season and won the Heisman Trophy in 1982. He counts Trump as a close friend.

The Trump endorsement was the chief reason Pam Leonard said she voted for Walker. But the 71-year-old said Tuesday outside of a polling place in Woodstock that she remembers those football days, too.

"I know his story," Leonard said. "Especially when he was a child, he was bullied and he built himself up by running against trains. That takes a lot of gumption."

But some of his Republican opponents had questioned Walker's electability. Walker has a history of violence against women and also skipped the primary debates. He has been open about his long struggle with mental illness and acknowledged violent urges.

Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black made the sharpest attacks on Walker, saying he couldn't win in November because of domestic violence allegations and other past problems.

Former Trump administration official and Navy veteran Latham Saddler had questioned Walker's preparation for a potential debate with Warnock.

In a statement Tuesday, Black said he hopes Walker "does right, but he has not earned my vote."

The other GOP primary candidates were: retired brigadier general Jon McColumn; contractor and Air Force veteran Kelvin King and former state Rep. Josh Clark.

David Butler didn't vote for Walker.

"I think he's probably going to get the nomination, but I don't think he deserves it," Butler said before the race was called. "I think he's getting it because of his name, because he played football at Georgia."

___

Associated Press writer Jeff Martin in Woodstock, Georgia, contributed to this report.

Video above: Herschel Walker campaigns in Coastal GeorgiaRepublican Senate candidate Herschel Walker on Friday denied his previous support for an outright national ban on abortion, making the shift in his lone debate against Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock.Walker, a staunch anti-abortion politician recently accused by a former girlfriend of encouraging and paying for her 2009 abortion, accused Warnock of misstating his position by saying Walker had supported a national ban on abortion, without exceptions.Walker insisted his position is the same as Georgia's state law, the so-called heartbeat bill that bans abortion at six weeks, before many women know they're pregnant.But Walker had insisted at various points throughout the campaign that he supported a national abortion ban, without exceptions. "That's a problem" that there is no national ban, he said at a campaign stop in July.But on the debate stage, Walker tried to shift the question to Warnock. Walker blasted Warnock for being a Baptist pastor who supports abortion rights."On abortion, you know, I'm a Christian. I believe in life. ... I'll be a senator that protects life," Walker said, later suggesting that Warnock doesn't care about abortions in the Black community. Both men are Black. "Instead of aborting those babies, why aren't you baptizing those babies?" Walker asked. Warnock insisted he can support abortion rights as a Christian and as a pastor. "God gave us a choice and I respect the right of women to make a decision. These are medical decisions, they are deeply personal," Warnock said, adding that Walker "wants to arrogate more power to politicians than God has." The debate in Georgia's marquee Senate contest was held just days before in-person early voting begins Monday. The outcome will help determine which party controls the Senate for the next two years of President Joe Biden's term. The matchup is forcing both men to answer attacks — personal and political — that have flooded voters' television screens and social media feeds for months. Warnock and fellow Georgia Democrat Jon Ossoff won their Senate seats in a January 2021 special election two months after Biden won Georgia by fewer than 12,000 votes out of 5 million cast. That was the first time in two decades Democrats won federal elections in the historically conservative state, raising questions about whether Warnock can replicate his victory in a midterm election, especially with Biden's popularity down among Georgia voters.Walker has seized on that landscape, caricaturing Warnock as a rubber-stamp for the administration. Warnock's answer has been to emphasize legislative accomplishments in Washington, with a focus on provisions he sponsored capping insulin and other health care costs for Medicare recipients, Democrats' extension of the child tax credit and infrastructure provisions that Warnock shepherded with Republican colleagues.A major variable in the debate is how aggressively Warnock chooses to directly attack Walker on various allegations and disclosures that have surfaced throughout the campaign. The senator typically has defaulted to his broad assertion that Walker is ill-prepared for office. But debate moderators brought the men into direct conflict on everything from their economic policies to their relationships with their children and families. Recent reporting by The Daily Beast disclosed records of an abortion receipt and a subsequent personal check from Walker to a woman who said the celebrity football icon paid for her abortion when they were dating. Walker continues to deny the reports, even after the woman identified herself as the mother of one of his four children. Other reports, including from The Associated Press, have detailed how Walker has exaggerated his academic achievements, business success and philanthropic activities, as well as accusations that he threatened the life of his ex-wife that go beyond details Walker himself acknowledged in a 2008 memoir and subsequent media interviews. Walker also acknowledged three of his children publicly for the first time only after earlier Daily Beast reporting. Before his Senate bid, he'd spoken publicly only of Christian Walker, his adult son by his first wife.Walker, as is typical of challengers battling incumbents, has proved much more eager to go after Warnock directly even before the debate. Citing Warnock's Senate financial disclosures, Walker blasts Warnock as using the Senate to get rich. Warnock reported income from a book deal after his Senate election. He also reported a monthly housing allowance from Ebenezer Baptist Church in excess of $7,000 — an arrangement that allows Warnock to continue receiving a considerable annual sum from the church for his role as senior pastor without violating federal ethics rules capping senators' outside income.National Republicans, meanwhile, have recently aired ads highlighting Warnock's personal life. One ad references a March 2020 incident in which Warnock's then-wife, Oulèye Ndoye, told police he ran over her foot with his vehicle. Police records state that officers found no evidence that Warnock did so. The couple divorced before Warnock's election to the Senate; they share two young children.Walker himself has avoided attacks on Warnock's family life, though he campaigned earlier this week with Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, who chairs the Senate GOP's campaign arm that paid for some of those ads. The Savannah debate was the two rivals' only meeting because Walker declined to accept the three fall debates typical in Georgia campaigns. Warnock accepted that slate of proposed debates in June, only to have Walker balk and counter with Friday's debate. The Friday debate did not include Libertarian Chase Oliver, who did not meet organizers' polling threshold. Just one of those original three debates is still scheduled: Warnock will meet Oliver in a Sunday session sponsored by the Atlanta Press Club. In that debate, Walker will be represented by an empty podium because he declined the invitation. ___Barrow reported from Atlanta.