Herschel Walker beat expectations in Georgia U.S. Senate debate. Will it matter in election?

This is a commentary by opinion columnist Adam Van Brimmer.

Given the opportunity - and the appropriate prop - Herschel Walker could have justifiably punctuated his walk off the U.S. Senate debate stage Friday night by spiking a football.

Yes, Georgia, your favorite football icon showed political acumen in his first-ever debate showdown. He didn’t ramble. He didn’t get flustered. He didn’t talk about “bad air,” trees, evolution or a COVID-19 killing mist.

He was charming. He was quick-witted. He came across as the more genuine of the candidates - he out-Warnocked Sen. Raphael Warnock.

For a self-professed “country boy” who claims to be “not that smart,” Walker delivered a remarkable performance. He didn’t bother to visit the post-debate media “spin room” to clarify or expound on anything. The debate’s close was a mic-drop/football-spike worthy moment.

His debate preppers’ consulting rates spiked, too. Had they searched his pockets before he went on stage and confiscated his toy policeman’s badge - the prop he foolishly attempted to flash midway through the event - they might have been due a bonus.

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For all the political points Walker scored Friday, what remains uncertain is whether his debate performance will make a difference in this election. Early in-person voting starts Monday. Absentee ballots will be in mailboxes by midweek. Election Day is Nov. 8.

Can one good night - one good hour - negate months of buffoonery? In a race devoid of undecided voters, did Walker convince anyone to reconsider? Did he give Trump diehards confidence that he can win and that they, with few other Trump faves on the ballot, should take the time to go to the polls and vote for him?

Not likely.

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Take political evasive action

Warnock remains the favorite. He’s an incumbent with all the advantages that come with it. He’s posted legislative victories, not talking point touchdowns. Contrary to Walker’s narrative, he’s not President Joe Biden’s lapdog.

Warnock is going to get all the Democratic votes, and he’ll likely be able to leverage the debate into a voter turnout tool. Walker’s awkward references to “Black Lives Matter” in relation to abortion and his advocating for a Trump 2024 run make for good October campaign fodder. Nothing stokes Democrats’ emotions like the notion of a Trumpist in a position of political influence.

Still, Warnock best recognize the threat ahead and take appropriate political action. Like most Georgians, he must have assumed Walker would make a fool of himself on the debate stage and Friday would serve as a de facto coronation. Even with Walker working to lower expectations - remember that “I’m not that smart” quote? - Warnock couldn’t have seen his opponent debating like a pro.

Warnock prefers to campaign with puppies and rainbows. He can’t allow a Walker resurgence to dominate the last weeks of the election cycle. Polls show Warnock leading but not a lock to meet the 50% plus one vote threshold needed to avoid a runoff, with Libertarian Chase Oliver looking to play spoiler the way Shane Hazel did two years ago in the Jon Ossoff-David Perdue race.

To review, Perdue was the acknowledged favorite in that contest and was the top vote-getter in the general election. He didn’t win a majority, though, with Hazel siphoning off 115,000 voters, enough to push the race into a runoff. Ossoff won the head-to-head rematch to claim the Senate seat.

Warnock wants to avoid a runoff. He likely didn’t lose votes in Friday’s debate, but he wasn’t looking for a football to spike afterwards either.

Contact Van Brimmer at avanbrimmer@savannahnow.com and follow him on Twitter @SavannahOpinion.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Herschel Walker debated like a pro in U.S. Senate election showdown