The Ultimate Single-Minded Seeker: Raphael Warnock

 The Ultimate Single-Minded Seeker

All I Think About Is... Reelection!

When it comes to reelection, David Mayhew has one grand idea: that everything (or at least a partial amount of everything) Congressmen do, is to get reelected. In short, every Congressmen is a single-minded seeker of reelection—their main goal in every action they take is getting back into their designated Senate (or Representative) seat! Senator Raphael Warnock, a man who has been under many special circumstances regarding his tenure in the junior Senate seat of Georgia, is someone very interesting to look at when it comes to this “single-minded seeker of reelection” theory. To recap: this is Warnock’s first time running for reelection, he only just hit the one year mark in his tenure, and is already up for reelection in nine months! So, let’s take a look at this theory. Mayhew has three kinds of activities that Congressmen engage in when running for reelection: position-taking, credit-claiming, and advertising. Let’s dive into each one… Warnock style.

Position-Taking

Position-taking, under Mayhew’s identification, is “the public enunciation of a judgmental statement on anything likely to be of interest to political actors” (61), or more easily identified as Congressmen stating their take on issues involving politics. Warnock is definitely no stranger to sharing his opinions on what matters to him!

                                                                              

Warnock has a history of denouncing and advocating for various stances; he denounces gerrymandering, he’s a strong advocate of voting rights, and he would love to expand Medicaid. All of these stances he has taken on his Twitter, in interviews, and during floor speeches over the past year! 

Warnock, more recently, released a statement condemning Russia’s actions in the Ukrainian-Russian crisis; taking a position that the United States must stand with Ukraine and impose even stronger and more severe sanctions on Russia.

Credit-Claiming

Credit-claiming, as Mayhew defines it, is “acting so as to generate a belief in a relevant political actor that one is personally responsible for causing the government, or some unit thereof, to do something that the actor considers desirable'' (53). More simply stated, credit-claiming is when a member of Congress claims they are the reason (or at least were an aid) for the government to get something done; essentially, Congressmen bragging about their achievements. Let’s just say, Warnock does not shy away from claiming what is his. 

                                                                              

Our good friend, and even better sponsor of bills, has introduced eight pieces of legislation just since the beginning of February, and is planning on introducing at least two more by the end of this week! The bills are all about helping the people, including capping insulin at $35 per month and (this upcoming week) lowering gas prices. 

In Warnock’s press releases, there is credit-claiming galore from both him, and Georgia’s senior senator, Jon Ossoff. The securement of funds and the urging of amendments to bills are some achievements Warnock specifically highlights. He (and Ossoff) are noted on Warnock’s press releases to have secured funding for rural Georgia businesses, electric vehicle networks, and Georgia theaters and nonprofit organizations. He also wrote an urgent letter to Speaker Pelosi and Minority Leader McCarthy about including funding for HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges/Universities) in the COMPETES Act. The press release was titled that Warnock “secured a key victory for HBCUs."

Advertising

Finally, Mayhew describes advertising as “a way to disseminate one’s name among constituents in such a fashion as to create a favorable image” (49), or basically, a Congressman does what they can to get their name out there and to look good to their constituents. Some things that constitute as advertising are giving nonpolitical speeches, visiting constituents, and even mailing/responding to constituents. 

                                                                              

Warnock is no stranger to advertising online, but in person, he does tend to lack a bit. Being that he was elected during one of the many heights of COVID, he hasn’t exactly gotten to meet with constituents in person after his first electoral campaign. Recently, as cases have lowered, he has gotten out there more. In fact, he was even noted talking to constituents at a gas station down in Sandy Springs, Georgia about his future gas price legislation. 

He also was able to give his very first town hall meeting on the anniversary of his election day, January 5th. The crowd had 150 people in it, and there, he touted his accomplishments over the past year (a mix of credit-claiming here…), and thanked everyone for their support. 

While he may not have been able to communicate with his constituents face-to-face, he has done everything under the sun to keep them updated via email, texts, and social media. Warnock is extremely active on his Twitters (which have subsequently amassed over one million followers) and loves updating his constituents through social media. He also takes part in having a newsletter and a place where constituents can share their opinions; constituents can sign up for both on his website! Due to his franking data not being shared yet from 2021, it is unknown whether Georgia constituents are receiving any mail from Senator Warnock.

The Electoral Connection

For our friendly face Reverend Raphael Warnock, a Congress member who has only had time to think about reelection and not much else, this theory is easily seen in almost everything he does, says, or posts. Right now, Warnock is eating, drinking, and breathing reelection, and I’m sure it is the top thing on his mind right now. Whether Warnock is doing these actions out of the kindness of his own heart, or if he is truly all in it to reclaim the throne of Georgia’s junior senator is unbeknownst to me, but it is easy to come to the conclusion that most—if not all—of Warnock’s actions and posts at the moment are to please his constituents, and (hopefully) get their vote come November.