rights act struggles, georgia in the south. president and counsel of the naacp legal defense fund. joins me now. it s great to have. you first, your reaction to what we saw transpire in this race. as someone who has litigated throughout the south. voting rights cases, have been outspoken by tums from politicians to suppress the vote. to essentially use mechanisms to keep black people out of the voting power and suppress black voters. last night meant. you have to connect last night to january 5th 2021. when there was the election of senator warnock and ossoff. which was a huge deal, we don t talk about very much. because jane six happen the next day. but that was already something incredibly powerful. these were statewide races. we had a black senator. only the second jewish elected official to a statewide office
barack obama will campaign with raphael warnock. some allies of herschel walker have expressed concern and frustration about the pace of his campaign after he went off the trail for phi days over the thanksgiving weekend. with us now is vaughn hillyard in atlanta and the politics reporter for the new york times. this is the former president s second time in georgia this fall. what do we expect tonight? right. you essentially back to back months part the former president trying to help boost particularly democratic turnout here in the state of georgia in what is going to be a turnout game for both these candidates. the senate incumbent makes his way around the state trying to replicate what they are able to pull off in 2020. when in the time between the general election in 2020 and that january 5th, 2021 runoff,
while the attack on the u.s. capitol was under way. january 5th, 2021 was the date of the runoff in georgia. it was while the capitol was under siege that the results came in showing the democratic candidates had won those georgia runoffs and the democrats had won control of the senate and chuck schumer would take over as the man in charge. that was the circumstance of how he learned last time. this time much better vibe. this time he learned it at a chinese restaurant while he was out to dinner with his wife on saturday night. on saturday with the win of democratic senator, senator schumer learned over fortune cookies, that against all odds, against history, the democrats would hold the senate and he would stay leader. with senator cortez masters win the night before, senator schumer also now maintains his perfect record of having every one of thinks democratic u.s.
i say to the republican senators and to leader mcconnell we are willing to work with you to get things done to the american people. it s not going to be everything your party wants for sure. it s not even going to be everything we want but it will be a lot done and we re not going to forsake our principles for it but we will get it done. that was senator chuck schumer speaking yesterday. the first time senator schumer learned that his party had won the senate and he would be majority leader of the u.s. senate was on january 6, 2021, while the attack on the u.s. capitol was under way. january 5th, 2021 was the date of the runoff in georgia. it was while the capitol was under siege that the results came in showing the democratic candidates had won those georgia
service, ultimately it s face-to-face contact with the canvassers that convinced him ultimately he can make a difference. those are the most important voters, those undecided about voting. finally, to the state that could keep us wondering for a month. good old georgia. that s where we see brian kemp s reelection as if the republicans can split from trump, and can he put herschel walker over the finish line. the early voting is shattering records. blayne alexander is in atlanta and been tracking this really since january 5th, 2021 when