U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock gives a victory speech after winning reelection over Republican challenger Herschel Walker in a Dec. 6, 2022, runoff campaign.

U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock gives a victory speech after winning reelection over Republican challenger Herschel Walker in a Dec. 6, 2022, runoff campaign.

Credit: Tristan Smith / GPB News

The panel

Greg Bluestein, @bluestein, political reporter, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Maya King, @mayaaking, political reporter, New York Times

Patricia Murphy, @MurphyAJC, political reporter & columnist, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

 

The breakdown

1. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona announced she'd be leaving the Democratic Party.

  • The announcement came days after Sen. Raphael Warnock won reelection in Georgia, a move which would have secured Democrats' 51st vote in the Senate.
  • Sinema, along with Sen. Joe Manchin, had leverage over the party's more progressive efforts in a 50-50 Senate.

LISTEN: Greg Bluestein on Sinema's departure from the Democratic Party.

2. How did the 2022 midterms raise the political profile of Gov. Brian Kemp and Warnock?

  • Kemp's stance against Donald Trump's interference in the 2020 election allowed him to run off the image of being a moderate Republican who stood up to the former president, appealing to independents.
  • Warnock soundly won an election against one of Georgia's biggest celebrities, solidifying his place in the Senate for six years. 
  • Both wielded the power of incumbency to run strong campaigns.

LISTEN: Patricia Murphy on Gov. Brian Kemp's political future.

3. Abrams campaign manager Lauren Groh-Wargo tweeted a thread on why her candidate lost following Warnock's reelection.

  • The tweets allege both that Abrams helped recruit Warnock for his Senate race and that the governor's mansion was "unwinnable" for Democrats in 2022.
  • After Democrats lost Georgia's constitutional races, the party is asking what it can do better to win seats stateside.

 

4. Will Republicans look to change Georgia's runoffs again?

  • The 2022 midterm runoff was Georgia's first attempt at a four-week runoff.
  • Politically, Democrats performed better in both the 2020 and 2022 runoffs. On the ground, some polling places saw lengthy lines. Could Republicans look to change practices?
  • It's still unknown what effect Senate Bill 202 had on overall turnout.

 

Tuesday on Political Rewind: Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan on the future of the Republican Party.

Tags: Georgia  Politics  Georgia Politics  Atlanta  Macon  Savannah  Kyrsten Sinema  Raphael Warnock  Stacey Abrams