It is unusual for a sitting senator to be running again within two years of being elected for the first time, but Sen. Raphael Warnock is doing exactly that.

In 2020, Sen. Johnny Isakson stepped down for health reasons two years prior to the end of his term.

Gov. Brian Kemp appointed Kelly Loeffler to serve as senator pending a special election to fill out Isakson's term, which Warnock won a year later. His victory gave the Democrats majority control of the Senate.

Isakson's term was to expire this year, so now Warnock is running for a full six-year term. He is facing former University of Georgia running back Herschel Walker, who easily won the Republican primary this spring but has stumbled since, consistently trailing Warnock in the polls.

With the U.S. Senate split 50-50 between Democrats and Republicans, every Senate seat has the potential to tip control of the upper chamber towards one party or the other — especially contests in swing states like Georgia —  so the race has brought national attention.

The U.S. Senate includes two elected senators from every state, regardless of population.

Walker easily won the primary against five other challengers with 68% of the vote. Agricultural commissioner Gary Black and former Navy Seal Latham Saddler came in second and third, but no one was close to the UGA star's popularity.

Walker skipped a number of major events, including primary debates, drawing criticism from his opponents. Black was particularly caustic in his criticism of Walker, commissioning multiple TV attack ads.

Despite his repeated attacks and his role as a statewide elected official, he only received about 13% of the vote.