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October 22, 2022 
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Reverend Warnock Energizes Young Georgia Voters to Cast Ballots Early: “We Need Your Impatience”

Atlanta, GA — During record-breaking early vote turnout, Reverend Warnock continues to energize voters to head to the polls and cast their ballots. In the Senate, Reverend Warnock advocates for young people across Georgia by protecting and growing good-paying Georgia jobs, fighting to make college more affordable, and expanding access to workforce development for all. Georgians can vote early now through November 4. 

Yesterday, Reverend Warnock hosted a Young Democrats rally in Atlanta to encourage them to vote early.

On Thursday, Reverend Warnock hosted a youth rally in Atlanta to encourage young voters to make their voices heard at the ballot box by voting early. 

Watch 11Alive Atlanta’s Coverage HERE

Anchor: “In the race for the U.S. Reverend Raphael Warnock stopped at The Gathering Spot in downtown for a youth rally. He also made a stop this morning in Athens.” 

Watch WGCL Atlanta’s Coverage HERE

Anchor, WGCL Atlanta: “Raphael Warnock spent the day focusing on young voters asking young college students to remember him and electing him helped confirm Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown-Jackson.”

This past Wednesday, Reverend Warnock turned out hundreds of supporters at a “Dawgs For Warnock” rally at the University of Georgia in Athens.

Watch Fox5 Atlanta’s Coverage HERE

Christine Sperow, Fox5 Atlanta: “In the race for U.S. Senate, democratic incumbent Senator Raphael Warnock spent the day in Athens. This morning, he was at the UGA Chapel for a ‘Dawg’s for Warnock’ rally. The Senator met with students, staff, and other voters.”

Athens Banner-Herald: ‘We need your impatience’: Raphael Warnock visits UGA Chapel, encourages students to vote

• U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock paid a visit to the University of Georgia on Oct. 20 to campaign for his re-election.

• Warnock, who drew a crowd of about 200 students, discussed his plans for re-election and the importance of the youth vote.

• “Now this is what happens when you send a preacher to the Senate. I even believe that infrastructure is spiritual,” he said. “Infrastructure in the real sense is about the recognition that we live in the same house; that we’re stuck with one another. And so it is in our enlightened self interest to work on the house that we live in together.”

• Warnock discussed several bipartisan measures he worked on in his two years in the Senate, such as the Warnock-Cruz Amendment to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The amendment, which he made with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, provided for the revitalization of interstate 14.

• As the rally came to a close, Warnock discussed the future of American politics. On the night of the Senate’s confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, he wrote his daughter a letter encouraging her to look to the future.

• “I love all of our children. And that’s what drives me every single day,” he said.

• He similarly encouraged student supporters to exercise their rights to vote on Election Day.

• “As a student of history, as a student of our country’s movement towards its ideals, I’m clear that there have never been any great movements for change without the energy, the passion, the enthusiasm and the intelligence of young people,” he said.

• “We need you,” Warnock said. “We need your idealism. We need your impatience.”

The Red & Black: Warnock visits Athens as early voting begins

• Students from the University of Georgia and Athens-Clarke County residents gathered at the UGA Chapel on Thursday morning to hear Sen. Raphael Warnock speak.

• Warnock spoke about the importance of the youth vote as the ballots are open. He also described his bipartisan record, faith and policies.

• “I’m always excited when my team tells me that I’m going to a university to spend some time with students and there are many reasons for that,” Warnock said.

• “As a student of history, as a student of our country’s movement towards its ideals, I’m clear that there has never been any great movements for change without the energy, the passion and the enthusiasm and the intelligence of young people.”

• Warnock said in his current tenure in Congress, he has worked to double the size of the Federal Pell Grant, which has expanded financial aid available to college students, passed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill to increase public transportation access and strengthen ports to improve supply chain issues, among other things.

• Warnock also spoke about his partnership with Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz to author the Warnock-Cruz amendment to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, aimed at revitalizing interstate 14, according to a press release from Warnock, which was approved with majority support from both parties.

• Throughout his time in Washington D.C. advocating for Medicaid expansion in Georgia, Denson said he was able to witness Warnock fight for what he believes in and inspire him to do the same.

• “He was one of the first groups to actually put his dream on the line, put the words into his actions, and get arrested there in the [state] Capitol and sit in jail for hours afterwards because he believes that healthcare is a human right,” Denson said. “Honestly, I don’t know if I’ve ever so proudly voted for someone before.”

• Warnock said the U.S. is more divided than ever and he wants the government to unite its people.

• ”Because of the divisiveness and the caustic nature and the polarization in our politics, we haven’t even been able to find the wherewithal to fix our own house, that’s why it’s a big deal that we finally passed a bipartisan infrastructure bill” Warnock said. “A vote is a kind of prayer for the world we desire for ourselves and for our children. We did an amazing thing and we’re gonna do it again.”

• Following the event, Warnock headed to East Athens where he held a meet and greet that drew a crowd of around 300 people, according to the release, where he encouraged residents to vote early.

WUGA: Warnock speaks to young voters from the UGA Chapel

• A large crowd of mostly students packed the UGA Chapel to hear incumbent Reverend Senator Raphael Warnock deliver a promise from the podium to increase financial aid benefits.

• Warnock appealed to students’ economic concerns by talking about his struggle to afford a college education and how government programs eased his burden.

• While Pell Grants helped the senator afford college in his twenties, Warnock says he now wants to look toward the future of what financial aid can become.

• After outlining what legislation he intends to push if reelected, Warnock turned to what he says he’s accomplished during his tenure as the first Black senator from Georgia, including the appointment of the first Black woman on the US Supreme Court.

• Recent polling by the University of Georgia on behalf of the Georgia News Collaborative shows Warnock with a slight lead over opponent Herschel Walker.

On Monday, Reverend Warnock voted early alongside current students attending his alma mater, Morehouse College. 

Later that day, Reverend Warnock hosted an early vote rally with Georgia State University students to encourage them to vote early.

The Atlanta Voice: Early voting is off to strong start as Democrats look to maintain momentum, avoid runoffs

• Monday night inside the Georgia State University Student Center a packed crowd greeted Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock as he took the stage. Waving ‘Students for Warnock’ signs, the crowd broke out into cheers and applause.

• “It’s the first day of early voting and you all sound like you’re ready to win this election,” Warnock said. Warnock (on stage) said of early voting, “I am encouraged by the turnout I am hearing about today but we need that to continue all the way to November 4. There’s too much at stake to wait until November 8.”

• Warnock was the recipient of a strong early voting turnout during the January 2021 senatorial runoff but is looking to avoid having to do the same this time around. “I won the last time in a hard fought race I ran against the wealthiest member of Congress,” he remembered.

• Following the rally at Georgia State University he wanted to further emphasize the importance of early voting. “We are no longer talking about Election Day, it’s election season and that begins right now,” he said.

This month, Reverend Warnock hosted a press call with student journalists to discuss the importance of voting and what’s at stake this election from student loan relief to protecting Georgia jobs. Student journalists from colleges and universities across Georgia were represented on the call including: Augusta University, Clark Atlanta University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia Southwestern State University, Morehouse College, Piedmont University, Spelman College, and the University of Georgia.

The Bell Ringer, Augusta University: Warnock talks student loan debt relief, voting and Augusta in student press call

• Senator Rev. Raphael Warnock (D) hosted a student press call Monday, Oct. 10, to answer questions from student journalists four days before his debate with Republican candidate Herschel Walker.

• Warnock, the Democratic candidate for the Georgia U.S. Senate race, was sworn in back in January of 2021. Warnock has advocated for policies like student loan debt relief and often campaigns on bipartisan work he has done with members of the Republican Party.

• In the Zoom call this week, Warnock spoke to student journalists from colleges across Georgia, including Augusta University, University of Georgia, Georgia Tech and Morehouse College, of which Warnock is an alumnus.

• As prices rise throughout the country, Warnock said he plans to make the cost of living more affordable for students and families. He said that the soaring interest rates on student loans have made it difficult for students who will soon seek other loans, like mortgages for purchasing homes.

• “They should not have a mortgage before they have a mortgage,” he said of college students. “I continue to make an investment that makes college more affordable.”

• Locally, Warnock said that he has advocated for funding in the CSRA to contribute to the growth of the surrounding community. “I’d like to see Augusta develop a regional tech hub,” he said. Warnock visited Augusta Technical College on the campaign trail last month.

• Recently, Warnock voted to give over $6 million to Augusta Transit that would fund new electric buses. “There’s a lot of great things coming to Augusta,” he said. Having made several trips to the region, he said, “It’s a magical city in our state.”

• As Election Day approaches next month, Warnock said he encourages young people and those who might be “on the fence” to take the opportunity to participate in the election. “If you look at every great movement in the country, young people have always been at the center,” he said.

• As Warnock prepares to face Walker in the televised debate, he said he finds it necessary to give voters the opportunity to hear candidates discuss issues. “Debates are an important part of democracy,” he said.

• The debate, which takes place Friday, Oct. 14, in Savannah, is the first and currently only debate agreed upon by both candidates. The incumbent senator said he will let his opponent speak for himself on respective issues. “There’s a sharp contrast between me and my opponent,” Warnock said.

• Warnock said his life-long passion for public service has made his work as a U.S. senator an “incredible thing”. “This is a dream job,” he said.

The Red & Black, Augusta University: Warnock meets with student journalists ahead of the election

• Sen. Raphael Warnock hosted a virtual press conference with 11 student journalists from papers throughout Georgia on Oct. 10 to answer questions about how his platform will affect college students.

• Warnock is a pastor and politician who won in a special election runoff in 2021. Now up for reelection, Warnock is hoping his Democratic stance on issues like voting rights and health care will allow him to win once again.

• Warnock said one of his main goals of the call was to address the topic of student loans, a concern that he is passionate about for students. Warnock said canceling student loans will provide “real relief” to families in need, as well as serve as a way for students to attend college without the burden of loans.

• “As senator, I’m fighting to make college more affordable for our young people,” said Warnock. “Especially Pell Grant recipients, often the first college graduate in their family and working class folks who went to technical school, vocational school or community college.”

• Andy Harris, a Morehouse College senior and editor in chief of The Maroon Tiger, asked the first question that started the discussion on the call.

• “What would you say are some of the things that keep you going on a day-to-day basis in the senate,” Harris said. “This is definitely an arduous time, especially on the campaign trail but also in Washington, D.C.”

• “Just my deep love for service,” Warnock said. “My whole life and my whole career has been committed to public service.”

• Jackson Carlstrom, Georgia Southwestern State University student and editor in chief of The Sou’Wester student newspaper, asked Warnock about any advice or tips for new, first-time voters or those on the fence about voting in the state.

• “I would say to folks who are trying to figure out which way they’re going to vote that there’s a sharp contrast between me and my opponent, I’ll let him speak for himself” said Warnock. “But I have spent my whole life dedicated to public service. First, as a pastor and now a pastor who serves in the senate.”

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