ATLANTA — Democratic Senate candidate Raphael Warnock delivered what his campaign billed as a closing message Tuesday in an ad that accuses Republican U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler of "trying to make you afraid of me because she's afraid of you."
The minute-long spot joins a glut of TV ads bombarding the airwaves ahead of the Jan. 5 runoffs for control of the U.S. Senate, twin contests that also feature a matchup between U.S. Republican Sen. David Perdue and Democrat Jon Ossoff.
More than $500 million has been spent or reserved on the airwaves so far, including a steady barrage of attacks aimed at Warnock's past sermons and stances. Warnock, who opened the runoff cycle with an ad poking fun at the onslaught, returned to the theme in the statewide spot.
"Kelly Loeffler spends tens of millions of dollars to scare you. She's attacked my church, attacked my faith. She's even attacked my family. She's trying to make you afraid of me because she's afraid of you," Warnock said, walking down an empty street as he speaks directly to the camera.
"Afraid that you understand how she's used her position in the Senate to enrich herself and others like her. Afraid that you'll realize that we can do better."
Loeffler's campaign and her allies have rejected accusations that she leveraged her position and have relentlessly accused Warnock, the pastor of Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church and a first-time candidate, of being too liberal for Georgia.
Republicans have also emphasized comments from Warnock in defense of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright when his sermons became a flashpoint in Barack Obama's 2008 bid for president. Warnock has pushed back on attempts to tie him to Wright's controversial remarks.
In a TV messaging pivot, Loeffler also recently debuted an ad focusing on her rural roots, which included images of braces she once wore on her legs and an eye patch to fix a childhood vision problem.
Here's the full transcript of the Warnock ad:
"Here's the choice Georgia. Kelly Loeffler spends tens of millions of dollars to scare you. She's attacked my church, attacked my faith. She's even attacked my family. She's trying to make you afraid of me because she's afraid of you. Afraid that you understand how she's used her position in the Senate to enrich herself and others like her. Afraid that you'll realize that we can do better.
"I'm Raphael Warnock, and if you elect me to the Senate, I'll wake up every day guided by the values of hard work and passion instilled in me by my parents and inspired by the words of Dr. King, who said that 'Life's most persistent and urgent question is what are you doing for others?' Even in these crazy times, I still think it's possible to work together to improve the lives of Georgians. All Georgians. That's exactly what I'll do in Washington. I approve this message and humbly ask for your vote."
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