The following is a transcript of an interview with Sen. Raphael Warnock, Democrat of Georgia, on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” that aired on Oct. 20, 2024.
MARGARET BRENNAN: That’s Weijia Jiang reporting from Atlanta. We go now to Democratic Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock of Georgia, good morning to you.
SEN. RAPHAEL WARNOCK: Good morning. Margaret, great to be with you.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well before we get to politics, Senator, I want to ask you about something that happened overnight in your state. We understand tragic news outside of Savannah, at least seven people were killed when a ferry dock collapsed on a Georgia Island. The White House says they are on standby to provide resources. Does Georgia need them?
SEN. WARNOCK: Margaret, this is tragic news. The Gullah Geechee community is such a rich community of resilient tradition, and there they were celebrating, and as folks were leaving a gangway to the dock collapsed. We know that we’ve lost at least seven people, but my prayers go out to those families. I pledge all the resources of my office to get to the bottom of this, and we stand with the community of Sapelo Island, Georgia, not far from my hometown.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We’re sorry to hear about that, sir. I want to move on to politics. We are so close to election day. You know, 33% of Georgia’s registered voters are black, more than any other swing state. Our CBS polling shows that black voters are still voting heavily Democratic, just like in past elections, supporting Harris at the same rate they supported Biden back in 2020, but we are seeing that expressed likelihood of turnout lags that of white voters. What do you need to do to help activate people to show up?
SEN. WARNOCK: Oh, we just have to keep doing the work. And the good news is, that’s exactly what Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are doing. They’re not taking anything for granted. You know, I’ve been through a few tough races in Georgia, and you just have to leave it all on the field. And so she’s been here several times. She’ll be here later today, worshiping at the New Birth Church, and we look forward to- and I understand she’s coming again later, later this week, so we’ll keep doing the work, and we’re going to get her over the finish line in Georgia and in the country.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, you know the last time you were with us, sir, back in March, you and I spoke about why Gaza was such a resonant issue with black pastors and black voters. Our latest poll shows 60% of black voters say the US should push Israel to decrease or stop military action. Just this past week, the administration sent a letter to Israel calling on its government to allow in aid to Gaza. It has dropped to its lowest level in a year, and warning that within 30 days measures have to be taken. Are you disappointed that the Biden Harris administration has been unable to persuade America’s ally to do more on the humanitarian front?
SEN. WARNOCK: Listen, I am deeply concerned about what’s happening in that area of the world, the Palestinian civilians, the Israeli civilians who were caught up in the middle of this conflict. We have to center the humanity of both the Palestinian and Israeli people. I support our efforts to make sure that our ally can defend itself. It’s in a tough, tough neighborhood. I think we’re at another turning point. We’re at a critical moment. I was heartened to see vice president Harris lean into this moment after the assassin- the killing of the Hamas leader, to call for peace, and this is what we need. We need peace, and we have to use all of our resources to bring that to bear.
MARGARET BRENNAN: But do you think this is going to hurt vice president Harris, with younger voters? She hasn’t really expressed a different policy than President Biden?
SEN. WARNOCK: Well, listen, let me be really clear. I’m mostly concerned about what’s happening to the folks who are in that region, not not the politics around this. As I, as I said a few months ago, we have to make sure that that our children are okay, Palestinian children and Israeli children. And here’s the thing, here’s, here’s the contrast. Donald Trump will not even give full throttle support to a two-state solution. He is, he has been very, very clear with his Project 2025 that he would actually end aid to Gaza and the West Bank. The contrast between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, they’re the ones who are running, could not be more stark. And we have to continue to try to bring this conflict to peace, bring the hostages home and provide a peace that, or a path that, honors the humanity of Palestinian and Israeli people.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Senator, we have seen incredible turnout at the polls in Georgia so far. On Friday though, Vice President Harris spoke about attacks on the freedom to vote, and she specifically referenced the state of Georgia, as you know, the Department of Justice and the state had been fighting going all the way back to 2021 about some state laws that the Justice Department said denied or abridged the right of black Georgians to vote on account of their race or color. The Justice Department did not win that case. Do you think that the Vice President’s continued comments could backfire here in terms of discouraging people from showing up to vote?
SEN. WARNOCK: No, I think the aim of voter suppression is to discourage people from voting. Look, we saw the shenanigans of the Georgia State Board of Elections for what they are. This effort to literally change the rules while people are voting, and the courts rightly pushed back on that. Remember that during my runoff, my last runoff, I had to sue the state of Georgia, State officials just so people could vote the first weekend of the runoff. Thankfully, the courts got it right during my election, and by the way, my margin of victory was close to the number of people who voted that first weekend that they said ‘we couldn’t vote.’ The courts got it right in my case. They got it right again this week, but I think the most important thing is for folks to show up. The way to respond to this is to not to allow, to not allow anyone to silence your voice. I’m glad that we’re seeing this incredible turnout all across our state. I think it speaks to the vigilance of the people of Georgia, and I hope they’ll keep it up all the way through early voting, which ends on November 1st. Then that they will get others there on November 5th.
MARGARET BRENNAN: But, your governor, Brian Kemp, said the truth is that it’s easy to vote and hard to cheat in Georgia, and he has criticized the Vice President and democratic officials, saying they lied about Georgia’s election laws to raise campaign cash and scare people. Doesn’t this high turnout assuage some of what you call attempts at voter suppression?
SEN. WARNOCK: Listen, I’ve been through a few elections in Georgia, and what we saw was lines wrapped around buildings. We saw the effort of state officials to make it impossible for people to vote the first weekend of our runoff, and Georgians stood up. Listen, the fact that voter voters turn out doesn’t mean there’s no voter suppression. It just means that people aren’t willing to have their voices silenced or muted. And the good news is that they’re showing up, and we’ll keep this going between now and November 1st, and then show up on Election Day on November 5th.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So you stand by your your belief that there are attempts to suppress the vote in Georgia?
SEN. WARNOCK: Listen, we saw what the state board of elections did just this last week-
[CROSSTALK STARTS]
MARGARET BRENNAN: -But the court,
SEN. WARNOCK: They literally, are trying to change the rules in the middle of an election-
MARGARET: -But the court struck those down,
[CROSSTALK ENDS]
SEN. WARNOCK: -And the courts, the courts, had to undo what they were trying to do. And what I’m saying to the people of Georgia is that the way to respond to this is to keep showing up, because when we show up, we win.
MARGARET BRENNAN: And lastly, are you concerned at all about political violence in your state?
SEN. WARNOCK: Listen, I think it’s very important that all of us remind ourselves that in the United States of America, we have robust arguments about the direction of the country, about the size of government, about what government should deliver. And those arguments are robust and sometimes rambunctious in order to avoid violence. And so I trust that cooler heads will prevail, and that we will remember that at the end of the day, that contrary to what Donald Trump has suggested, our enemies are not within. We are an American people. We don’t always agree on everything, but the great thing is that we can have this conversation. That’s what democracy looks like, and we’re seeing it play out right now
MARGARET BRENNAN: Understood. Thank you for your time this morning.
SEN. WARNOCK: Great to be with you
MARGARET BRENNAN: “Face the Nation” will be back in one minute. Stay with us.
