Herschel Walker says yes to Savannah debate, but silent about Macon showdown with Warnock

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker says he’s agreed to participate in a debate this fall.

But it’s not one of the three debates his opponent Sen. Raphael Warnock agreed to months ago, including a Macon debate put on by the Mercer University Center for Collaborative Journalism, The Macon Telegraph, 13WMAZ and Georgia Public Broadcasting.

Walker announced during a Fox News appearance Monday that he’s agreed to take part in an Oct. 14 debate in Savannah hosted by Nexstar Media, which owns several TV stations across the state.

But Mallory Blount, a spokesperson for the Walker campaign, did not answer any questions from the Macon Telegraph regarding Walker and his decision about the Macon debate.

Warnock committed to three debates in late May. In June, he announced he accepted debate invitations from the Atlanta Press Club and another hosted by WTOC in Savannah in addition to the Macon event.

WSAV reports the Nexstar debate will be the only one that Walker would attend. Blount did not tell the Telegraph whether Walker would commit to additional debates.

“This debate will be carried on Fox 5 Atlanta, the Nexstar Media Group Inc. markets serving Georgia in Augusta; Savannah; Columbus; Spartanburg, SC; Dothan, AL as well as on the Sinclair-owned stations in Macon and Albany,” Blount said. “The format and moderators are fair and would allow each candidate equal opportunity to share their message. It also includes a large audience of 500 people, which would allow both candidates to speak directly to constituents.”

When asked a follow-up regarding the differences in the format and moderators of the other three debates that Warnock accepted, Walker’s campaign did not respond.

Georgia Public Broadcasting reports that the debates all have similar rules and formats.

Will the debates actually happen?

The Macon and Atlanta debates will go on — even if Walker doesn’t attend, organizers said.

But the Nexstar debate may not take place if Warnock declines, online news outlet Politico reports.

“We don’t have a debate,” Nexstar’s senior director for local content development Chris Berg told Politico. “We have an offer, and one candidate accepted. So until, you know, we have a second candidate, we don’t have a debate.”

Macon organizers said they’ve contacted Walker’s team five times and have not received a response. Atlanta Press Club spokesperson Lauri Strauss told the Telegraph that the organization has been in contact with the Walker campaign, but he hasn’t accepted their invite.

Libertarian U.S. Senate candidate Chase Oliver has accepted an invitation to attend the Macon and Atlanta debates, organizers of both events said.

“We hope Herschel Walker will agree to participate in the debate, but if he doesn’t, his campaign is aware he will be represented by an empty lectern,” Strauss said.

In an interview Tuesday, Warnock said he looked forward to the Macon debate and asked that Walker join him.

“I think the people of Georgia have a stark choice to make about the difference between me and my opponent — between who they think is actually ready to serve the people of Georgia. I can’t wait to talk to the people of Macon about the work I’m doing,” Warnock said.

The Democrat highlighted legislation he’s authored or supported designed to cap the costs of prescription drugs, make housing more affordable for military personnel and invest in infrastructure improvements.

In a statement, campaign manager Quentin Fulks makes no mention of Warnock participating in the Nexstar debate.

“Two months ago, Reverend Warnock accepted invitations to three well-established Georgia debates in Atlanta, Savannah, and Macon to be broadcast statewide, after Herschel Walker said he would debate Reverend Warnock anywhere, anytime. Nothing has changed,” Fulks said. “Reverend Warnock remains committed to debating Herschel Walker and giving Georgians three opportunities to see the clear choice about who is ready to represent Georgia.”

The pair have traded barbs, accusing the other of dodging debates.

Warnock has constantly criticized Walker for failing to commit to a debate, often pointing to Walker’s previous statements that he would debate before the November election.

“When (Warnock) gets ready to debate, I’m ready to go,” Walker said during a May campaign stop in Columbus. “ (Warnock) picks the time and the place, I’m ready to go.”

Since announcing that he accepted the Nexstar debate, Walker has accused Warnock of being a “scaredy cat” for not yet accepting the invitation.

Macon Telegraph editor Caleb Slinkard contributed to this report.

Note: Nick Wooten is a reporter for the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, a sister paper of the Macon Telegraph. His Georgia politics coverage appears in both papers. He is also a member of the Atlanta Press Club. Wooten is not involved in the planning of either U.S. Senate debate.