Sen. Raphael Warnock brings campaign to Milledgeville

Aug. 17—U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock will make a campaign swing through cities in middle Georgia, including Milledgeville and Eatonton on Thursday.

Warnock, a democrat from Atlanta, is running for re-election to the U.S. Senate.

Warnock is being challenged by Herschel Walker, a republican. The statewide election is slated for Tuesday, Nov. 8.

Quentin T. Howell, chairman of the Baldwin County Democratic Committee, said Warnock will hold a meet and greet session and talk with local residents concerning some of the latest news from the nation's capitol in Washington, D.C.

The event is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. at Allen's Market on West McIntosh Street in downtown Milledgeville. Warnock is expected to address supporters at 10 a.m.

Howell said the plan is to host the rally outside in the Floyd L. Griffin Jr. African-American Plaza, weather permitting. If it's raining, the event will be held inside Allen's Market.

"We're very excited about Sen. Warnock coming to Milledgeville," Howell told The Union-Recorder. "We've got people coming from all around Milledgeville to hear him. I've spoken to people from Jasper, Sandersville, Eatonton and Greensboro who are planning to come. This is going to be a multi-county political event."

Howell said he was "very pleased" that Warnock had accepted the invitation to come to Milledgeville.

"It shows the importance of rural Georgia, and specifically, it shows the importance of Milledgeville, the former capital of the old Confederate south, and how important we are on a national scale," Howell said. "This election will have national implications and could shape the difference in whether the Democrats keep control of the U.S. Senate or whether it swings to the other side — the Republicans."

Oftentimes, political candidates journey to venues that draw larger crowds.

"But in this 2022 election, specific focus is being put on how important the people of rural Georgia, and specifically, Milledgeville and Baldwin County, really are," Howell said.

The local Democratic Committee chairman said Warnock's visit to Milledgeville is the kickoff to the upcoming Georgia Democratic Convention slated for Aug. 27, in Columbus.

"We're springboarding off Sen. Warnock's visit," Howell said.

Following Warnock's visit to Milledgeville, he will hold rallies Thursday in Eatonton at Ebenezer Baptist Church, located at 100 Willie Bailey St. The event is set for 1 p.m.

Warnock will journey on his campaign bus for political rallies in Conyers that afternoon and in Stonecrest at 7 p.m.

During his political tour, which he has entitled, "Working for Georgia," Warnock is expected to talk about a host of issues confronting Georgians on several fronts.

The tour comes just as the Warnock-backed PACT Act was signed into law by Pres. Joe Biden.

The PACT Act expands access to health care for Georgia veterans exposed to toxic burn pits during their military service, which Warnock helped get passed, according to Jackie Bush, deputy press secretary for Warnock for Georgia.

"The PACT Act is part of Reverend Warnock's extensive record of fighting for Georgia's veterans and military families, which includes calling on the Air Force to honor its promise to maintain missions at Robins Air Force Base — standing up to the Administration to maintain critical funding to keep the Savannah Combat Readiness Training Center open and preserve critical military jobs, and securing more than $2.5 million in federal funding to help homeless Georgia veterans," Bush said.