Secretary of State to audit his own race as Senate candidates restart campaigns for runoff

ATLANTA — Georgia’s Secretary of State ordered an audit of his own race as he hopes to restore confidence in Georgia’s election system.

This comes as both candidates for U.S. Senate hit the campaign trail again.

“I believe in transparency and accountability to the voters,” Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said during a news conference.

Thursday began with Raffensperger announcing his office would do a statewide risk-limiting audit of his own race.

Georgia law requires an audit of one race, and he chose his own.

State elections director Blake Evans said the audit in all 159 Georgia counties will make sure the vote totals are accurate and that the voting machines worked.

Evans said if the machines worked properly for one race, they worked for all the races.

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“We want folks to know that we are trustworthy, the machines are trustworthy, and Georgia elections officials are trustworthy, and this audit is auditing the machines,” Evans said.

As that was happening, both U.S. Senate candidates were back on the campaign trail two days after neither won enough votes to avoid a runoff.

Incumbent Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock launched his runoff fight under the mural of former Rep. John Lewis.

“We know how to win a runoff,” Warnock said. “Now, you have to admit. I did warn you that we might be spending Thanksgiving together. And here we are.”

Walker was hitting the campaign trail, too, less than 48 hours after he promised his supporters he would fight on and win.

“We’re in a fight, are we not?” Walker said. “I’ll tell you right now, I’m like Ricky Bobby. I don’t come to lose.”

Warnock appeared with several Democratic members of Congress along with state and local officials.

Walker will hold a rally Thursday night with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.

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