Herschel Walker, the underdog? Savvy comments about IQ set tone for U.S. Senate debate

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Herschel Walker did a smart thing last week in publicly stating “I’m not that smart” during a campaign event at the Port of Savannah.

For Walker, his U.S. Senate debate against Sen. Raphael Warnock scheduled for Oct. 14 has the potential to be a campaign cataclysm. No amount of prep and practice will make Walker into Warnock’s equal in a policy and issue discussion on the debate stage, where Warnock is as polished as a jewelry store diamond.

The best Walker can hope for in debating Warnock is to connect with voters on an emotional level. With his self-deprecating comments about his intelligence and doing “my best” at the debate, he lowers expectations and gives himself cover for inevitable stumbles. He stakes his claim as the underdog.

Given that a significant percentage of the population is terrified of public speaking, we naturally feel sympathetic toward those who make gaffes in front of a crowd. So long as Walker remains gracious and good natured, he can lose the debate and not lose any voters.

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Especially if he resists the urge to utter the words “radical liberal Raphael Warnock,” a tactic that doomed the last candidate to debate Warnock, Sen. Kelly Loeffler. In a 2020 debate, she used the label more than a dozen times, so often that the refrain dominated the post-debate discussion rather than the value of her policy positions.

Loeffler lost the U.S. Senate runoff to Warnock a few weeks later, shifting majority control of the chamber to the Democrats.

Walker is in a much different position than Loeffler was. He’s an icon, not a relative unknown like Loeffler, who was a newcomer beyond Atlanta business and Georgia GOP insider circles when she was appointed to her Senate post following Johnny Isakson’s retirement.

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Georgians have been rooting for Walker in one way or another for a half-century. Even those with doubts about his bonafides don’t want to witness the failure of his fledgling political career on a debate stage.

Warnock must debate cautiously. He’ll want to score points without bullying Walker or coming off as condescending. Warnock will need to shelve the sharp-pointed rejoinders and remind voters that he too has overcome adverse circumstances to reach success. Let Walker’s miscues stand on their own.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Herschel Walker sets tone for U.S. Senate debate against Sen. Warnock