Senate 2022: Georgia

The environmentalist incumbent faces a tight race.

Georgia is a toss-up state that both parties view as a must-win. I suppose it says something that both candidates for the Georgia Senate are Black, which may be a first for a Southern state, or perhaps anywhere.
GOP insiders are reportedly concerned about their candidate’s ability to mount a successful challenge to the incumbent.  But name recognition and a Trump endorsement may be enough to carry the day for them.

Raphael Warnock (D).  Warnock, the incumbent, is an environmental stalwart. According to his website:

“Reverend Warnock believes we must accept the science, invest in infrastructure, and combat the climate crisis that is already at our door. He sees climate change as a moral issue, which we must act on by ignoring Washington special interests, and instead putting effective, common sense policies in place.”

The website continues with a discussion of environmental justice, which begins with a statement that “Reverend Warnock’s emphasis on climate justice is guided by his faith and his understanding that ‘the Earth is the Lord’s.’”

Warnock introduced a bill to support solar manufacturing and has a 100% score from the League of Conservation Voters.

Hershel Walker (R). The GOP challenger is best known for his career as a football player. His website’s treatment of issues is pretty cursory. It does include two sentences relevant to environmental issues:

“Restore America’s energy independence by resuming construction on the Keystone Pipeline, pursuing clean energy alternatives, and increasing domestic oil and gas energy production.”

“Cut federal government red tape to encourage more businesses to plant roots and create more jobs in Georgia.”

Walker has spoken about climate change but only opaquely. According to the NY Times:

“In a July 9 appearance that was streamed live on Facebook, he spoke expansively, and not entirely understandably, about climate change and pollution — suggesting that Georgia’s ‘good air decides to float over’ to China, displacing China’s ‘bad air’ that goes back to Georgia, where ‘we got to clean that back up.’”

At the end of the day, Georgians will have to decide between a candidate with a clear vision on a range of issues including the environment, versus a familiar name endorsed by Trump with vague conservative views. The outcome should be illuminating.

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Reader Comments

2 Replies to “Senate 2022: Georgia”

  1. Dan, Hurricane Ian is proving again that continued failure by UC Powers That Be to immediately implement your recommendation: “Where Berkeley falls short, in my view, is that there’s little leadership from the top and little structure at the campus level to organize climate efforts” is enabling environmetal disasters that will destroy any chance for an acceptable quality of life for our newest and all future generations, especially as long as the PTBs stay subservient to the Power of Money.

    Thank you for your efforts, “Never, Never, Never Give Up.” Our grandchildren depend on us to defend their quality of life.

  2. P.S. HISTORY LESSON:

    it is not easy to change the PTBs who also marginalized Linus Pauling for championing Peace at UCSD rallies during the Viet Nam War but upset the money supply from the military-industrial complex to UC faculty members that were subservient, that even President Eisenhower warned us about in his 1961 Farewell Address:

    “The prospect of domination of the nation’s scholars by Federal employment, project allocations, and the power of money is ever present and is gravely to be regarded.

    Yet, in holding scientific research and discovery in respect, as we should, we must also be alert to the equal and opposite danger that public policy could itself become the captive of a scientific-technological elite.”

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About Dan

Dan Farber has written and taught on environmental and constitutional law as well as about contracts, jurisprudence and legislation. Currently at Berkeley Law, he has al…

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About Dan

Dan Farber has written and taught on environmental and constitutional law as well as about contracts, jurisprudence and legislation. Currently at Berkeley Law, he has al…

READ more

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