THERE IN BUFFALO, NEW YORK , FOR US . >> THANK YOU. SO I OF THE STATE OF GEORGIA NOW AND WE ARE JUST A LITTLE OVER A WEEK AWAY FROM THAT SENATE RUNOFF, THAT REMATCH BETWEEN HERSCHEL WALKER AND INCUMBENT RAPHAEL WARNOCK STILL GOING ON . THIS IS THE BIG ONE . NOW, EVEN THOUGH IT'S THE SAME RACE, A LOT HAS CHANGED SINCE NOVEMBER EIGHT . SO JOINING US WITH MORE , STEVE MITCHELL, WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT FOR THE ATLANTA JOURNAL CONSTITUTION. TO YOU, SO THIS IS THE NEVER ENDING RACE, JUST LIKE IT WAS THE LAST TIME TWO YEARS AGO IN GEORGIA. BUT THIS IS CRUCIAL, ISN'T IT? TELL US WHAT'S CHANGED IN THIS RACE SINCE ELECTION DAY LAST MONTH. HOW DOES IT FEEL TO YOU? >> WELL, WHAT'S CHANGED A LITTLE BIT FOR HERSCHEL WALKER IS THAT NOW BRIAN KEMP, WHO WAS ELECTED AFTER THE GENERAL ELECTION, HE IS NOW CAMPAIGNING WITH HERSCHEL WALKER. HE'S PUTTING HIS POLITICAL CAPITAL BEHIND SUPPORTING HERSCHEL WALKER'S CAMPAIGN. AND THAT'S CONSIDERED SOMETHING THAT COULD BOOST HERSCHEL WALKER IN THIS RUN. FOR WARNOCK. I THINK WHAT'S CHANGED IS HIS MESSAGE HAS SHARPENED. >> HE'S MADE HIS RUNOFF CAMPAIGN ABOUT COMPETENCE AND CHARACTER. HE SAYS HE HAS HERSCHEL WALKER DOES. >> IT IS ONE STRATEGY WORKING BETTER THAN ANOTHER AT THIS POINT? >> WELL, YOU KNOW, THAT'S SOMETHING WE PROBABLY WON'T KNOW FOR SURE UNTIL AFTER ELECTION DAY. BUT I DO THINK WARNOCK SEEMS TO BE BUILDING A BROADER COALITION. THE EARLY VOTING NUMBERS LOOKED LIKE THEY WOULD BE BENEFICIAL TO THE WAR, NOT FOR WALKER. HE AND PARTICULARLY THESE SURROGATES, LIKE GOVERNOR KEMP, LIKE SOME OF THOSE SENATORS WHO HAVE COME DOWN TO SUPPORT HIM. THEIR MESSAGE HAS BEEN MORE ABOUT NOT SO MUCH FOCUSING ON HERSCHEL WALKER, BECAUSE I THINK EVEN REPUBLICANS KNOW HE'S A PRETTY FLAWED CANDIDATE, BUT FOCUSING ON THEIR BIGGER MISSION OF PUTTING MORE REPUBLICAN IN THE SENATE IN ORDER TO MAKE IT A LITTLE BIT HARDER FOR PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN TO CARRY OUT HIS AGENDA. SO THAT'S BEEN THE MESSAGE THAT'S BEEN ABLE TO ENCOURAGE SOME REPUBLICAN VOTERS. THE QUESTION IS , THOSE MODERATE VOTERS, THOSE SPLIT TICKET VOTERS THAT SEEM TO BE LEANING TOWARDS WAR OR NOT, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT MESSAGE COMING FROM WALKER'S CAMPAIGN IS ENOUGH TO SWAY THEM BACK TOWARDS WALKER. AND SO FAR , I GUESS MORE THAN ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY THOUSAND GEORGIANS HAVE VOTED EARLY, INCLUDING THE INCUMBENT SENATOR , RAFAEL WARNOCK. >> HE VOTED ON SATURDAY. WE SAW HIM THERE. SO GIVEN THAT, WHAT DOES THAT TELL YOU ABOUT THE INTENSITY ON THIS RACE THE LAST TIME TWO YEARS AGO WHEN WHEN WARNOCK WON ,IT WAS GOING TO DECIDE POWER IN THE SENATE, GEORGIA ITSELF? WELL, NOW EVERYONE KNOWS THE DEMOCRATS WILL CONTROL THE SENATE, AT LEAST AT THE START. DOES THAT LESSEN THE INTENSITY FOR EITHER SIDE OR HOW DOES THIS FEEL JUSTICE JUST AS INTENSE A RACE TURNOUT BEING SO HIGH? >> YEAH, IT JUST ISN'T. IT REALLY DOES FEEL THIS INTENSE TURNOUT IS HIGH. >> IT EVEN IS STARTING TO BREAK RECORDS IN SOME WAYS ON CERTAIN ,ESPECIALLY MOLA LENGHI, THAT THIS WEEKEND TURNOUT WAS SO HIGH, EVEN THOUGH STATEWIDE NOT EVERY COUNTY HAD EARLY VOTING THIS PAST WEEKEND. THERE'S A LOT OF INTEREST INTENSITY. THE OTHER THING IS VOTERS CAN'T AVOID THIS ELECTION. >> IT'S ON THEIR TVS WITH ADVERTISING. THEY'RE GETTING MAILERS. THEY'RE GETTING TEXT MESSAGES AND E MAILS FROM THE CANDIDATES SOLICITING FOR DONATIONS. SO IT'S REALLY HARD TO NOT BE AWARE OF THE RUNOFF. BUT WE'RE ALSO WE ARE SEEING A LOT OF ENERGY AROUND THIS RACE, EVEN THOUGH THE BALANCE OF POWER AT THE SENATE IS NOT AT STAKE. THE LEVEL OF POWER THAT DEMOCRATS WOULD HAVE IN THE SENATE IS AT STAKE. IT'S A QUESTION OF 50 50 COMMITTEES VERSUS DEMOCRATS HAVING A CLEAR MAJORITY. YOU KNOW WHAT? WE HAVE YOU AND WE'RE JUST TALKING ABOUT JUST THE INFLUENCE HERE IN THESE TIGHT RACES IN THIS RUNOFF AND WHAT'S AT STAKE FOR BOTH PARTIES. YOU'VE GOT DONALD TRUMP HAVING THIS DINNER WITH A VERY WELL-KNOWN, INFAMOUS, WE SHOULD SAY, WHITE SUPREMACISTS, ALONG WITH KANYE WEST ANTISEMITE. DO YOU THINK THIS WHAT WE SAW HAPPEN OVER THE WEEKEND WILL IMPACT THIS RACE, THIS PARTY, WHAT WE'RE WATCHING RIGHT NOW OUT? YEAH, I DON'T KNOW IF IT WOULD HAVE HAD MUCH IMPACT UNLESS TRUMP STARTED BECOMING MORE VOCAL OR TRIED TO COME CAMPAIGN IN GEORGIA. BECAUSE TRUMP AND HERSCHEL WALKER'S TIES ARE LONG STANDING. THAT'S KIND OF BEEN BAKED INTO THE PERPETUAL OFFICE CAMPAIGN FROM THE BEGINNING. SO THE FACT THAT HE HAS A CLOSE RELATIONSHIP WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP ISN'T REALLY NEW TO ANY VOTERS, WHETHER THEY SUPPORT HIM OR NOT. BUT TRUMP HAS STAYED AWAY. YES, HE HAS ENDORSED HERSCHEL WALKER WHEN HE ANNOUNCED HE WAS RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT AGAIN, HE SAID, OH, YEAH, DON'T FORGET TO VOTE FOR HERSCHEL WALKER, BUT HE HAS NOT STEPPED FOOT IN GEORGIA THROUGHOUT THIS RACE. AND WE DON'T EXPECT THAT TO HAPPEN IN THE RUNOFF. SO IN BOTH FOR WALKER SUPPORTERS, HIS SURROGATES AND HERSCHEL WALKER HIMSELF, THEY ARE NOT FOCUSING ON TRUMP. AND SO FAR , DEMOCRATS, YES, THEY SAY THAT'S ONE OF THE ANOTHER REASON WHY THEY THINK HERSCHEL WALKER IS NOT THE RIGHT PERSON TO SERVE IN THE SENATE. THAT'S PART OF, AGAIN, CHARACTER INCOMPETENCE THAT'S COMING FROM THE DEMOCRATS WHEN IT COMES TO HERSCHEL WALKER. >> SO LET'S SAY THE TRUMP HASN'T GONE, DOESN'T SEEM TO BE INVITED. I WONDER IF AFTER THOSE MIDTERMS, WHICH WERE BAD FOR HIM, HE'S BAD LUCK FOR FOUR OR MORE FOR SOME CANDIDATES.