Voters in a trio of Southern states will head to the polls Tuesday to cast their ballots in the midterm primary elections.Alabama, Arkansas and Georgia take their turn this week selecting their candidates for November’s general election. Plus, Texas and Minnesota host a handful of runoff elections. While the Democrats will appear on the ballot in all of the states, it's the GOP that will headline the night, featuring a number of races that will certainly shine a light on the future of the party.A former White House press secretary, a football legend and a few hard-pressed incumbents take center stage Tuesday night.Here's what to watch for:Huckabee Sanders poised for Arkansas governorship?Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary for former President Donald Trump from 2017 to 2019, is the runaway favorite to become the next governor of Arkansas.Sanders, whose father, Mike Huckabee, served as governor for 10 years, is facing one long-shot challenger in Francis "Doc" Washburn, a fiery radio personality and podcaster from Little Rock. The 39-year-old Sanders boasts endorsements from Trump, former Vice President Mike Pence, Sen. Tom Cotton, a long list of state officials and musician Kid Rock. The latest polling shows her up nearly 60 points on Washburn.Chris Jones, a nuclear physicist and ordained minister, is the leading candidate for the Democratic nomination.The other notable race in Arkansas is the GOP primary for U.S. Senate. Sen. John Boozman, who has held the seat since 2011, is seeking reelection.Also riding a Trump endorsement, Boozman is facing an aggressive challenge from his right by former NFL player Jake Bequette, however, polling shows the incumbent safely in the lead. Jan Morgan, who’s been endorsed by former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, conservative political consultant Roger Stone and musician Ted Nugent, is also vying for the nomination.Jack Foster, Natalie James and Dan Whitfield will duke it out for the Democratic nomination.Heisman Trophy winner leads pack, sitting governor under attackSen. Raphael Warnock has only been in the U.S. Senate for just over a year, defeating former Sen. Kelly Loeffler in a runoff election in January 2021.He will be back on the ballot in 2022, though he's basically running unopposed in the primary. Tamara Johnson-Shealey is the only challenger.It's the GOP primary that will attract the most eyes. Six Republicans are contending for the Republican nod, including top candidates Herschel Walker, a former Heisman Trophy winner and NFL star, and Gary Black, the current Georgia agriculture commissioner. Walker, who has endorsements from Trump, former Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, currently holds a sizable lead over Black in polling — 55% according to the latest aggregation.The GOP race for governor will also garner some attention, as Gov. Brian Kemp tries to fend off former Sen. David Perdue.Kemp, who has served as governor since 2019, boasts endorsements from Pence, former President George W. Bush and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.Meanwhile, Trump is in Perdue's corner, as well as former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.The latest aggregation of polling shows Kemp in the lead by roughly 23 points. But a late surge by Perdue could make Tuesday night interesting.What will be less interesting is the Democratic primary, which features one candidate — Stacey Abrams. Abrams is expected to give whoever is the GOP's nominee a run for their money come November, testing whether Georgia will remain a blue state after flipping in the 2020 presidential election.Alabama may be headed for multiple runoffsThe biggest draw Tuesday night in Alabama is the three-person race for the GOP nomination for U.S. Senate.Katie Britt, a lawyer and former chief of staff for Sen. Richard Shelby, who is vacating the seat, has emerged as the leader of the pack.Britt, who is attempting to become Alabama's first female senator, overtook Rep. Mo Brooks in polling earlier this year. It's been a fall from grace for Brooks, who, on top of losing his lead in polling, also lost his endorsement from Trump in March after Brooks started falling behind. Trump has slammed Brooks for not being strong enough in backing the unfounded claims that the 2020 presidential election was rigged.Additionally, Brooks had endorsements rescinded by former Senior Advisor Stephen Miller and Michael Flynn.Meanwhile, Britt enjoys a deep bench of endorsements from state officials as well as Sens. Joni Ernst and Lindsey Graham. Rounding out the three-person race is U.S. Army pilot and businessman Mike Durant, who remains within earshot with endorsements from Flynn, Ted Nugent and former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke.Important to remember is that Alabama is a runoff state for its primary elections, so if no candidate reaches the 50% threshold, the top two will face off again on June 21.Will Boyd, Brandaun Dean and Lanny Jackson will battle for the Democratic nomination.Also on the ballot Tuesday is the governor's race. Gov. Kay Ivey holds a steady lead in polling, but she will face a challenge reaching that 50% threshold with two strong candidates nipping at her heels — former Ambassador to Slovenia Lynda Blanchard and businessman Tim James, who is the son of former Gov. Fob James.Activist and educator Yolanda Flowers is the presumed front runner for the Democratic nod.Reproductive rights on the ballot in conesequential Texas runoffDemocratic Rep. Henry Cuellar is being pushed to the brink of being unseated by progressive challenger Jessica Cisneros. This is the second cycle in a row Cisneros has run against Cuellar, falling 51.8% to 48.2% in 2020.Reproductive rights has become a top issue in this race as Cuellar has come under fire for his anti-abortion stance — which is especially poignant now with Roe v. Wade's future uncertain.Moderates and the Democratic establishment have stood by Cuellar, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn.On the other side, Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Katie Porter and numerous labor unions are backing Cisneros. During the first round of voting on March 3, Cuellar edged out Cisneros 48.7% to 46.6%. But things are quite different this time around. First, it's head-to-head, so there won't be a third candidate to dilute the vote count. And second, this election is taking place after the Supreme Court draft opinion leaked indicating Roe v. Wade may be overturned. The outcome of this race could signal a changing of the guard within the Democratic Party, or it could be a doubling-down on the same old. Either way, every Democrat in Congress will be watching.

Republican Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker acknowledged on Wednesday that he has a son whom he has not previously mentioned publicly, a disclosure that draws renewed attention to his previous outspoken calls for Black men to play an active role in the lives of their children.Walker's campaign confirmed the existence of his 10-year-old son after The Daily Beast reported Tuesday that the boy's mother had taken Walker to court in 2014 to establish paternity and to get child support payments."Herschel had a child years ago when he wasn't married. He's supported the child and continues to do so," Walker campaign manager Scott Paradise said in a statement Wednesday. "He's proud of his children. To suggest that Herschel is 'hiding' the child because he hasn't used him in his political campaign is offensive and absurd."Walker sends Christmas and birthday presents to the boy but has not played an active role in raising him, the Daily Beast reported, citing an unnamed person close to the son's family with direct knowledge of the events.The Walker campaign did not immediately respond to questions from The Associated Press about his involvement in the boy's life.Walker has repeatedly criticized absentee fathers over the years, holding up his relationship with his older son, Christian Walker, whose mother is Walker's former wife, Cindy Grossman. Walker has said he worked with his ex-wife and current wife to raise Christian."I want all African Americans to know, even though you may leave the mom, don't leave the child," Walker told WABE-TV's "Love and Respect with Killer Mike" on May 27. "Continue to be a dad, continue to be a strong figure in that child's life, because that happens, that happens. I said, 'I'm going to continue to raise him, and be right there with him.'"Walker faces Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock in November in a critical battleground state that could be key to determining party control of the chamber. Warnock helped flip the Senate to Democrats after he and fellow Georgia Democrat Jon Ossoff won a pair of runoff elections in early 2021.Walker, who has been endorsed by both former President Donald Trump and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, has faced criticism throughout the campaign about whether he's been truthful about his past.Walker drew attention for his past mental health struggles, as well as allegations that he threatened his ex-wife's life. He's dramatically inflated his record as a businessman and overstated his role in a for-profit program that is alleged to have preyed on veterans while defrauding the government. And his claim that he graduated at the top of his class from the University of Georgia, where he led the Bulldogs to a 1980 championship, was also untrue. He didn't graduate, as the Atlanta Journal-Constitution first reported.In the statement that acknowledged paternity, Walker's campaign accused Warnock of engaging in "both a nasty mudslinging campaign and a nasty custody dispute with his ex-wife.""This is a complete double standard," Paradise said.Warnock's ex-wife, whom he divorced in 2020, said in court filings in February that Warnock wasn't upholding his end of the shared custody agreement of their two children and asked the court to order Warnock to pay more in child support, arguing that his income had risen.Warnock's campaign said the senator is a "devoted father.""Rev. Warnock is a devoted father who is proud to continue to co-parent his two children as he works for the people of Georgia," said campaign spokesperson Meredith Brasher.

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.