New York Times: “In the ad, and on the campaign trail, Mr. Walker, a former football star, does not elaborate. But in his 2008 memoir, Breaking Free, he revealed that he had been diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder, formerly known as multiple personality disorder. He described his 12 ‘alters’ — distinct identities that helped him cope with the trauma of being bullied as a child. He wrote of rage and ‘out-of-control behavior’; he played Russian roulette with a loaded gun.”

“Now, as he tries to steady a campaign that could determine control of the Senate, Mr. Walker often speaks of these events in religious, not medical, terms. He either denies the accusations or says he does not remember what happened. Still, he casts himself as a redemption story, saying he is a Christian ‘saved by grace.’”

“But experts say Mr. Walker’s assertion that he has ‘overcome’ the disorder is simplistic at best: Like other mental illnesses, dissociative identity disorder cannot be cured in the classic sense. Psychiatrists say that while patients can learn to manage this disorder — and even live symptom-free for extended periods — the symptoms can recur, often triggered by stress.”

Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) “is signaling that he’s ready to ditch his typically restrained persona in favor of more direct attacks on his Republican opponent Herschel Walker as the Georgia Senate race enters its final stretch,” The Hill reports.

A Landmark Communications poll in Georgia shows Sen. Raphael Warnock (D) and challenger Herschel Walker (R) locked in a dead heat, 46% to 46%.

In the governor’s race, Gov. Brian Kemp (R) leads challenger Stacey Abrams (D), 51% to 45%.

An Insider Advantage survey shows Warnock leading 46% to 44% and shows Kemp ahead 50% to 43%.

“Confronted with images of a receipt from an abortion clinic and a check dated days later and bearing his name, Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker said Sunday that an ex-partner’s allegation that he paid to terminate her pregnancy is a lie,” NBC News reports.

“Walker acknowledged the $700 check was his but again said he had no knowledge of what the money might have been for.”

Said Walker: “Yes, that’s my check.”

Georgia U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker (R) talked to Kristen Welker on NBC News about the police badge he flashed at the recent debate.

WALKER: That’s a badge that I was given by a police officer and I do have the badge I carry with me all the time. It’s a real badge. It’s not a fake badge. It is a real badge.

WELKER: Who gave you that badge?

WALKER: This badge is from um — this badge. I have badges from all over the — all over Georgia, even from Chatham County. I had to wait — wait — I had from Chatham County which is a county, which is a county, uh, which is a county from- *SHOWS BADGE* oh I have it upside down. Right, which is a county from where Senator Warnock is from. I have an honorary Sheriff badge for that county with limited rights —

WELKER: Where is this one from?

WALKER: This is from my hometown. This is from Johnson County from the sheriff from Johnson County, which is a legit badge. Everyone can make fun, but this badge give me the right- wait, let me finish. If anything happened in this county. I have the right to work with the police getting things done. People that don’t know that- I’ve been working with law enforcement for years. I do training program but they get to get credit for it. I do a program, a leadership program. I do health and wellness programs. I visit prisons so, everyone will make fun, but I’ve been — have my men and women in black — men and women in blue backs since I’ve been doing this.

WELKER: Does that have arresting authority or that is an honorary badge?

WALKER: It is an honorary badge — but they can call me whenever they want me and I have the authority to do things for them to work with them all day.

WELKER: The National Sheriffs Association said an honorary badge, quote, is for the trophy case. Why make the decision to flash it at the debate?

HERSCHEL WALKER: That is totally not true. You can call the guy that gave me the badge.

Sen. Raphael Warnock (D) and challenger Herschel Walker (R) will square off for the first and only time tonight in Savannah.

Walker has tried to lower expectations, saying that he’s just a “country boy” who isn’t smart while noting that Warnock is a preacher. But Walker himself is a motivational speaker, so he has a lot of experience speaking to an audience.

The debate will be streamed live on FOX 5 Atlanta at 7 p.m. ET.

Leave your reactions in the comments.

“Since Herschel Walker launched his bid for Senate last year, Georgia voters have learned about his ex-wife’s allegations of domestic violence, his multiple children born out of wedlock and, most recently, assertions from a former girlfriend that he paid for one abortion and urged her to end a second pregnancy, while claiming to oppose abortion,” the New York Times reports.

“Mr. Walker, a former football star and first-time candidate, has denied the latest claim and expressed shock about what he has cast as a stunning partisan broadside. But some Republicans close to him were hardly surprised: They had been discussing the arrival of this moment with the candidate for months.”

The Daily Beast obtained Herschel Walker’s (R) child support agreement for his youngest son, which shows that he pays $3,500 a month — he claims a net worth between $29 million and $62 million — and has no visitation rights.

“We shared the details with five experienced New York family lawyers. Their verdict was unanimous: The mother got a raw deal.”

The Cook Political Report notes that $128.5 million has been spent so far in the U.S. Senate race in Georgia — “a number that could rise exponentially given the increasing likelihood this race might go into overtime with a December 6 runoff.”

“You cannot tell me that anybody 60 years old would trade brains with Herschel Walker, ’cause you wouldn’t.”

— James Carville, in an interview with Vanity Fair.

Nate Cohn: “In today’s highly polarized political climate, it takes a lot for a scandal to make a big difference in a high-stakes election.”

“But if the latest polls are any indication, the recent allegations against Herschel Walker, the Republican Senate candidate in Georgia, might be big enough not only to decide his race but also control of the Senate.”

“Compared with previous polling, the latest surveys show him slipping by an average of about 2.5 percentage points since an ex-girlfriend said he paid her for an abortion she had in 2009. Mr. Walker has made opposition to abortion a cornerstone of his campaign and has denied the woman’s account.”

“One is a seasoned public speaker, accustomed to delivering sermons nearly every Sunday from the pulpit of the famed Atlanta church where the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once preached. The other is a political novice whose meandering, often nonsensical oratory on the stump tends to inspire as much mockery as it does applause,” the New York Times reports.

“The stark stylistic differences between the polished Senator Raphael Warnock, a Democrat, and his less politically refined Republican challenger, Herschel Walker, the former University of Georgia football great, add unpredictability and intrigue to their highly anticipated debate on Friday night.”

The debate begins at 7 p.m. ET.

Philip Bump: “When the Daily Beast first reported that Georgia U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker had paid a girlfriend for an abortion in 2009 — a claim Walker has both denied and denied remembering — it seemed like the sort of revelation that might upend the close race. After all, here was a story centered on one of the most polarizing issues of the 2022 midterms, abortion, with a fervently Republican antiabortion candidate apparently exposed as hypocritical.”

“Walker’s son Christian quickly and loudly turned on his father. Other Republicans seemed worried, with some expressing concern that they were stuck with Walker as their party’s nominee.”

“Polling has come trickling in since the Oct. 4 report. But, so far, those concerns appear to have been unnecessary. Views of Walker are just about the same as they were before the news broke, as is the state of the race.”

The Economist: Defying gravity in Georgia.

Joshua Green: “By ordinary measures, Herschel Walker just experienced the worst week of any politician this cycle — maybe this decade.”

“Senate hopeful Herschel Walker said Tuesday that he now knows the identity of the person alleging that he reimbursed her for the cost of an abortion procedure more than a decade ago, but said he has not spoken to the ex-girlfriend since the news broke and accused her of lying,” ABC News reports.

Said Walker: “I know nothing about an abortion. I knew it was a lie and I said it was a lie — and I just move on… it’s sad that people say October surprise, but you’re destroying families.”

He added: “This race is too important for me to give up or for me to stop. So, October surprise is not going to faze me.”

CNN: Herschel Walker’s false and misleading recent claims.