Raphael Warnock dismisses controversy over past sermon remarks as 'distraction'
Rev. Raphael Warnock is calling criticism over his past sermons a distraction with the election about one month away
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
Rev. Raphael Warnock, the top Democratic candidate in a heated runoff race for a Georgia Senate seat, is calling criticism over his past sermons a distraction with the election about one month away.
Warnock has served as a senior pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta since 2005, which is the same church where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. preached.
His competitor – Republican incumbent Sen. Kelly Loeffler – has taken aim at some of Warnock’s sermons, dubbing him the “most radical and dangerous candidate in America.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
“I’m glad that Kelly Loeffler is listening to my sermons and she should listen to more of them,” Warnock said in response, as reported by the Ledger-Enquirer. “This to me is a distraction, and she is engaged in it, because she cannot defend her record.”
He echoed those sentiments in a recent Twitter post.
LOEFFLER SAYS WARNOCK 'CAN'T BE TRUSTED TO KEEP GEORGIANS SAFE' AMID SPIKE IN ATLANTA MURDER RATE
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
In one instance, for example, Loeffler and Republicans zeroed in on a 2011 sermon where Warnock said no one can serve “God and the military.”
Loeffler and Warnock are scheduled to square off in a runoff debate on Sunday in Atlanta.
GOP EFFORTS TO RAISE BIG BUCKS FOR GEORGIA SENATE RUNOFFS IS A 50-STATE EFFORT
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
Loeffler was appointed by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp to fill former Sen. Johnny Isakson’s seat in January.
Since no candidate received more than 50% of the vote in November, the top two candidates are competing in the runoff election on Jan. 5.
President-elect Joe Biden won the state of Georgia, making him the first Democratic presidential candidate to do so since former President Bill Clinton in 1992.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
In the state, both Senate seats are still up for grabs.